Frontiers in Microbiology (Sep 2022)

Synthesis of the cyanobacterial halometabolite Chlorosphaerolactylate B and demonstration of its antimicrobial effect in vitro and in vivo

  • Nikoline Jensen,
  • Henrik Elvang Jensen,
  • Bent Aalbaek,
  • Sophie Amalie Blirup-Plum,
  • Sara M. Soto,
  • Sara M. Soto,
  • Virginio Cepas,
  • Yuly López,
  • Yaiza Gabasa,
  • Ignacio Gutiérrez-del-Río,
  • Ignacio Gutiérrez-del-Río,
  • Ignacio Gutiérrez-del-Río,
  • Claudio J. Villar,
  • Claudio J. Villar,
  • Claudio J. Villar,
  • Felipe Lombó,
  • Felipe Lombó,
  • Felipe Lombó,
  • María José Iglesias,
  • María José Iglesias,
  • Raquel Soengas,
  • Fernando López Ortiz,
  • Louise Kruse Jensen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.950855
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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Chlorosphaerolactylate B, a newly discovered antimicrobial halometabolite from the cyanobacterium Sphaerospermopsis sp. LEGE 00249 has been synthesized in three steps by using 12-bromododecanoic acid as starting material. A total of 0.5 g was produced for in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial efficacy testing. In vitro, the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was estimated to be 256 mg/L for Staphylococcus aureus, while the minimal biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) was estimated to be 74 mg/L. The in vivo study utilized a porcine model of implant-associated osteomyelitis. In total, 12 female pigs were allocated into 3 groups based on inoculum (n = 4 in each group). An implant cavity (IC) was drilled in the right tibia and followed by inoculation and insertion of a steel implant. All pigs were inoculated with 10 μL containing either: 11.79 mg synthetic Chlorosphaerolactylate B + 104 CFU of S. aureus (Group A), 104 CFU of S. aureus (Group B), or pure saline (Group C), respectively. Pigs were euthanized five days after inoculation. All Group B animals showed macroscopic and microscopic signs of bone infection and both tissue and implant harbored S. aureus bacteria (mean CFU on implants = 1.9 × 105). In contrast, S. aureus could not be isolated from animals inoculated with saline. In Group A, two animals had a low number of S. aureus (CFU = 6.7 × 101 and 3.8 × 101, respectively) on the implants, otherwise all Group A animals were similar to Group C animals. In conclusion, synthetic Chlorosphaerolactylate B holds potential to be a novel antimicrobial and antibiofilm compound.

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