COMBINATORIAL EFFECTS OF ANTIBIOTICS AND ENZYMESAGAINST BACTERIAL BIOFILMS

Background and Aim : Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and the formation of biofilms are themain challenges of today's medicine because it has become a global problem that affects thetreatment of multiple infections and impacts public health. Infections caused by these multiresistantor biofilm forming bacteria potentially reduce the possibility of effective therapy; thissituation increases morbidity and mortality and treatment costs, and new and innovative strategiesneed to be devised. Biofilm-dispersing enzymes degrade the extracellular polymeric matrixsurrounding bacterial biofilms, and increase their susceptibility to antibiotics and immune cells.Co-treatment using antibiofilm agents with antibiotics appears to hold great promise as one suchstrategy. In this study the effects of anti-biofilm activity of some enzymes alone and in combinationwith antibiotics from various classes on the degradation of dual-species biofilms of Pseudomonasaeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus were evaluated.Methods : The efficacy of trypsin, β-glucosidase, and DNase I enzymes on the degradation ofdual-species biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus in a wound-likemedium are investigated. Moreover, the reduction of minimum biofilm eradication concentration(MBEC) of meropenem and amikacin was evaluated when combined with enzymes.Results : The minimum effective concentrations of trypsin, β-glucosidase, and DNase I enzymesto degrade biofilms were ۱ μg/ml, ۸ U/ml, and ۱۵۰ U/ml, respectively. Combination of ۰.۱۵ μg/mltrypsin and ۵۰ U/ml DNase I had a significant effect on S. aureus-P. aeruginosa biofilms whichresulted in the dispersal and dissolution of all biofilms. In the presence of the enzymatic mixture,MBECs of antibiotics showed a significant decrease (p < ۰.۰۵), at least ۲.۵-fold.Conclusion : In conclusion, it was illustrated that the combination of trypsin/DNase I enzymestargeting different components of biofilm matrix, can be considered as an anti-biofilm agent andan appropriate candidate to degrade S. aureus-P. aeruginosa biofilms.

کلیدواژه ها:

Trypsin ، β-glucosidase ، DNase I ، biofilm ، Pseudomonas aeruginosa ، Staphylococcusaureus