Identification of potential anti-infectives against Staphylococcus aureus using a Caenorhabditis elegans infection model

Abstract

Abstract. The alarming increase of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and a delay in antibiotics development point to the need for novel therapeutic approaches to combat infection. To discover novel anti-infective agents, we screened a number of synthetic compounds comprising mainly of chalcone derivatives to explore their potential in promoting the survival of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans upon infection by S. aureus. Screening of seven chalcone derivatives using both agar-and liquid-based assays revealed three positive hits that significantly prolonged the survival of S. aureus-infected nematodes. All the hits did not interfere with bacterial growth in vitro, proposing that the three compounds identified most probably act through mechanisms distinct from conventional antibiotics that target bacterial replication.

Cinnamomum cassia and Syzygium aromaticum Essential Oils Reduce the Colonization of Salmonella Typhimurium in an In Vivo Infection Model Using Caenorhabditis elegans

“…The enumeration of bacterial Colony Forming Units (CFU) within the gut of C. elegans was performed according to the method presented by Konga et al (2014) [47] with some modifications. After a 24-h exposure to EOs or antibiotic in liquid medium, approximately 10 living worms were briefly anesthetized in 25 mM Levamisole (Lev).…”