Chitosan Coupling Makes Microbial Biofilms Susceptible to Antibiotics

Abstract

Microbial biofilms, prevalent in nature and inherently resistant to both antimicrobial agents and host defenses, can cause serious problems in the chemical, medical and pharmaceutical industries. Herein we demonstrated that conjugation of an aminoglycoside antibiotic (streptomycin) to chitosan could efficiently damage established biofilms and inhibit biofilm formation. This method was suitable to eradiate biofilms formed by Gram-positive organisms, and it appeared that antibiotic contents, molecular size and positive charges of the conjugate were the key to retain this anti-biofilm activity. Mechanistic insight demonstrated chitosan conjugation rendered streptomycin more accessible into biofilms, thereby available to interact with biofilm bacteria. Thus, this work represent an innovative strategy that antibiotic covalently linked to carbohydrate carriers can overcome antibiotic resistance of microbial biofilms, and might provide a comprehensive solution to combat biofilms in industrial and medical settings.

Synergy among thymol, eugenol, berberine, cinnamaldehyde and streptomycin against planktonic and biofilm-associated food-borne pathogens

“…This finding is similar to the MIC obtained by other authors. Zhang et al (2013) reported that the streptomycin against L. monocytogenes with the MIC values 8 lg ml À1 . Regarding the MIC values for the four essential oils' components (Thy, Eug, Ber and Cin), it can be seen that L. monocytogenes was more sensitive to Cin (512 lg ml À1 ).…”

Antimicrobial Chitosan Conjugates: Current Synthetic Strategies and Potential Applications

“…It has been reported that galactose [82], curcumin [35], inulin [83], and caffeic acid [84] can be successfully coupled with chitosan to obtain the corresponding conjugates by this method. It should be noted that, considering the instability of the Schiff base, the chitosan Schiff base conjugate is usually reduced to a stable amino-substituted chitosan conjugate through sodium borohydride or sodium cyanoborohydride [37,85,86].…”

Analysis of the shelf life of chitosan stored in different types of packaging, using colorimetry and dentin microhardness

“…In both the pharmaceutical and the medical fields, chitosan has been used as an anti-tumor substance and antibacterial agent 4. In agriculture, it is used as a preservative in seeds, facilitating the absorption of iron and calcium, and in the food and cosmetic industries, it is used as a source of fiber 56. Biologically, chitosan promotes weight reduction, contributes to cholesterol control, accelerates the healing of connective tissue, operates in the hemostasis process, and induces bone tissue formation 789…”