Antimicrobial resistance is a major concern for public health throughout the world that severely restricts available treatments. In this context, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is responsible for a high percentage of S. aureus infections and mortality. To overcome this challenge, nanoparticles are appropriate tools as drug carriers to improve the therapeutic efficacy and decrease the toxicity of drugs. In this study, a polyethylene glycol (PEG)ylated nanostructured lipid carrier (PEG-NLC) was synthesized to improve the oral delivery of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMZ) for the treatment of MRSA skin infection in vitro and in vivo. The nanoformulation (PEG-TMP/SMZ-NLC) was synthesized with size and drug encapsulation efficiencies of 187 ± 9 nm and 93.3%, respectively, which could release the drugs in a controlled manner at intestinal pH. PEG-TMP/SMZ-NLC was found efficient in decreasing the drugs’ toxicity by 2.4-fold in vitro. In addition, the intestinal permeability of TMP/SMZ was enhanced by 54%, and the antibacterial effects of the drugs were enhanced by 8-fold in vitro. The results of the stability study demonstrated that PEG-TMP/SMZ-NLC was stable for three months. In addition, the results demonstrated that PEG-TMP/SMZ-NLC after oral administration could decrease the drugs’ side-effects such as renal and hepatic toxicity by ~5-fold in MRSA skin infection in Balb/c mice, while it could improve the antibacterial effects of TMP/SMZ by 3 orders of magnitude. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the application of PEGylated NLC nanoparticles is a promising approach to improving the oral delivery of TMP/SMZ for the treatment of MRSA skin infection.
Yogurt is a health food with notable market production and demand. Because of this, we conducted a study on prominent commercial brands of yogurts in Pakistan for microbial content and the probiotic potential of the contained lactic acid bacteria (LAB), in the context of their label claims. All contained viable LAB, but the numbers (cfu g −1 ) varied considerably. Three of the products made explicit probiotic claims, but LAB from these displayed no probiotic attributes per WHO-FAO guidelines. The yogurt starter and nonstarter Lactobacillus strains had no gelatinase or hemolytic activity and exhibited significant antibacterial activity against some human pathogens. One brand with a probiotic claim contained an L. acidophilus strain that showed cholesterol assimilation activity in vitro. Some potential human pathogens that were hemolytic and resistance to β-lactam antibiotics were also detected in the products. The findings demonstrate a need for better quality control and regulation to ensure safety and efficacy of yogurt products.Values are mean of three replicates. ‡ LAB isolated on MRSc and M17 media. | Non-LAB isolated on nutrient and MacConkey media. § Genus and species-specific primers for Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactococcus lactis, and Streptococcus thermophilu. ¶ Expiry and manufacturing date and contact information provided except lot/batch number. **a: de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) medium supplemented with L-cysteine in anaerobic condition; b: M17 in aerobic conditions. † † Neg for the primers used.
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