Anti-Virulence Activity of the Cell-Free Supernatant of the Antarctic Bacterium <i>Psychrobacter</i> sp. TAE2020 against <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> Clinical Isolates from Cystic Fibrosis Patients
Rosanna Papa,
Gianluca Vrenna,
Caterina D’Angelo,
Angela Casillo,
Michela Relucenti,
Orlando Donfrancesco,
Maria Michela Corsaro,
Ersilia Vita Fiscarelli,
Vanessa Tuccio Guarna Assanti,
Maria Luisa Tutino,
Ermenegilda Parrilli,
Marco Artini,
Laura Selan
Affiliations
Rosanna Papa
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, p.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Gianluca Vrenna
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, p.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Caterina D’Angelo
Department of Chemical Sciences, Federico II University, Complesso Universitario Monte S. Angelo, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy
Angela Casillo
Department of Chemical Sciences, Federico II University, Complesso Universitario Monte S. Angelo, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy
Michela Relucenti
Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopaedics, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Alfonso Borelli 50, 00161 Rome, Italy
Orlando Donfrancesco
Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopaedics, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Alfonso Borelli 50, 00161 Rome, Italy
Maria Michela Corsaro
Department of Chemical Sciences, Federico II University, Complesso Universitario Monte S. Angelo, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy
Ersilia Vita Fiscarelli
Unit Cystic Fibrosis Diagnostic Microbiology and Immunology Diagnostics, Diagnostic Medicine and Laboratory Department, Bambino Gesù Children’s IRCCS Hospital, 00165 Rome, Italy
Vanessa Tuccio Guarna Assanti
Unit Cystic Fibrosis Diagnostic Microbiology and Immunology Diagnostics, Diagnostic Medicine and Laboratory Department, Bambino Gesù Children’s IRCCS Hospital, 00165 Rome, Italy
Maria Luisa Tutino
Department of Chemical Sciences, Federico II University, Complesso Universitario Monte S. Angelo, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy
Ermenegilda Parrilli
Department of Chemical Sciences, Federico II University, Complesso Universitario Monte S. Angelo, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy
Marco Artini
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, p.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Laura Selan
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, p.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen often involved in airway infections of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Its pathogenicity is related to several virulence factors, such as biofilm formation, motility and production of toxins and proteases. The expression of these virulence factors is controlled by quorum sensing (QS). Thus, QS inhibition is considered a novel strategy for the development of antipathogenic compounds acting on specific bacterial virulence programs without affecting bacterial vitality. In this context, cold-adapted marine bacteria living in polar regions represent an untapped reservoir of biodiversity endowed with an interesting chemical repertoire. In this paper, we investigated the biological activity of a supernatant derived from a novel Antarctic bacterium (SN_TAE2020) against specific virulence factors produced by P. aeruginosa strains isolated from FC patients. Our results clearly show a reduction in pyocyanin and protease production in the presence of SN_TAE2020. Finally, SN_TAE2020 was also able to strongly affect swarming and swimming motility for almost all tested strains. Furthermore, the effect of SN_TAE2020 was investigated on biofilm growth and texture, captured by SEM analysis. In consideration of the novel results obtained on clinical strains, polar bacteria might represent potential candidates for the discovery of new compounds limiting P. aeruginosa virulence in CF patients.
