International Journal of Nanomedicine (Jan 2020)
Short Communication: Fructose-Enhanced Antibacterial Activity of Self-Assembled Nano-Peptide Amphiphiles for Treating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
Abstract
Ming Gao,1 Run Chang,1 Danquan Wang,2 Yuan Li,1 Linlin Sun,1 Steven R Lustig,1 Thomas J Webster1,3 1Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA; 2Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA; 3Wenzhou Institute of Biomaterials and Engineering, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Thomas J WebsterDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, 313 Snell Engineering Center, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USATel +1 617 373 6585Fax +1 617 373 2209Email [email protected]: In recent years, numerous bacteria have become resistant to conventional antibiotics. Fortunately, an increasing body of research indicates that through the addition of specific metabolites (like sugars), the antibacterial activity of certain drugs can be enhanced. A new type of self-assembled nano-peptide amphiphile (SANPA) was designed in this study to treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections and to reduce the use of antibiotics.Methods: Here, SANPAs were self-assembled into nanorod structures with a diameter of ca. 10.5 nm at concentrations greater than the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of 44.67 μM. Both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were treated with SANPAs with fructose supplementation.Results: After a 30-min fructose pre-incubation, SANPAs reduced bacteria growth relative to non-fructose treatments at all concentrations. Cytotoxicity assays indicated that the presence of fructose seemed to slightly ameliorate the cytotoxic effect of the treatment on model human fetal osteoblasts (or bone-forming cells) and human dermal fibroblasts.Conclusion: We demonstrated here that SANPAs-like nanomaterials have a promising potential to treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria, especially when added to fructose, potentially limiting their associated infections.Keywords: MRSA, MDR-E.coli, bacteria, fructose, antibiotic resistance, nano peptide amphiphiles
