Membrane-Active Metallopolymers: Repurposing and Rehabilitating Antibiotics to Gram-Negative Superbugs.

ABSTRACT: Among multiple approaches to combating antimicrobial resistance, a combination therapy of existing antibiotics with bacterial membrane-perturbing agents is promising. A viable platform of metallopolymers as adjuvants in combination with traditional antibiotics is reported in this work to combat both planktonic and stationary cells of Gram-negative superbugs and their biofilms. Antibacterial efficacy, toxicity, antibiofilm activity, bacterial resistance propensity, and mechanisms of action of metallopolymer-antibiotic combinations are investigated. These metallopolymers exhibit 4-16-fold potentiation of antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria with negligible toxicity toward mammalian cells. More importantly, the lead combinations (polymer-ceftazidime and polymer-rifampicin) eradicate pre

SUBMITTER: Hwang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10842942 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature