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Insights into the mode of action of chitosan as an antibacterial compound.

ABSTRACT: Chitosan is a polysaccharide biopolymer that combines a unique set of versatile physicochemical and biological characteristics which allow for a wide range of applications. Although its antimicrobial activity is well documented, its mode of action has hitherto remained only vaguely defined. In this work we investigated the antimicrobial mode of action of chitosan using a combination of approaches, including in vitro assays, killing kinetics, cellular leakage measurements, membrane potential estimations, and electron microscopy, in addition to transcriptional response analysis. Chitosan, whose antimicrobial activity was influenced by several factors, exhibited a dose-dependent growth-inhibitory effect. A simultaneous permeabilization of the cell membrane to small cellular components, coupled to a significant membrane depolarization, was detected. A concomitant interference with cell wall biosynthesis was not observed. Chitosan treatment of Staphylococcus simulans 22 cells did not give rise to cell wall lysis; the cell membrane also remained intact. Analysis of transcriptional response data revealed that chitosan treatment leads to multiple changes in the expression profiles of Staphylococcus aureus SG511 genes involved in the regulation of stress and autolysis, as well as genes associated with energy metabolism. Finally, a possible mechanism for chitosan's activity is postulated. Although we contend that there might not be a single classical target that would explain chitosan's antimicrobial action, we speculate that binding of chitosan to teichoic acids, coupled with a potential extraction of membrane lipids (predominantly lipoteichoic acid) results in a sequence of events, ultimately leading to bacterial death.

SUBMITTER: Raafat D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2446574 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Insights into the mode of action of chitosan as an antibacterial compound.

Raafat Dina D von Bargen Kristine K Haas Albert A Sahl Hans-Georg HG

Applied and environmental microbiology 20080502 12

Chitosan is a polysaccharide biopolymer that combines a unique set of versatile physicochemical and biological characteristics which allow for a wide range of applications. Although its antimicrobial activity is well documented, its mode of action has hitherto remained only vaguely defined. In this work we investigated the antimicrobial mode of action of chitosan using a combination of approaches, including in vitro assays, killing kinetics, cellular leakage measurements, membrane potential esti ...[more]

PMID: 18456858

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Project description:1,4-Dioxane (1,4-DX) is an environmental contaminant found in drinking water throughout the United States (US). While it is a suspected liver carcinogen, there is no federal or state maximum contaminant level for 1,4-DX in drinking water. Very little is known about the mechanisms by which this chemical elicits liver carcinogenicity. In the present study, we performed chronic and short-term dosing studies in female BDF-1 mice to explore the toxic effects of 1,4-DX. Histopathology studies and a multi-omics approach (transcriptomics and metabolomics) were performed to investigate potential mechanisms of toxicity. Mice were exposed to various concentrations of 1,4-DX (0, 50, 500 and 5,000 mg/L) in their drinking water for one or four weeks. Immunohistochemical analysis of the liver revealed an increase in the number of H2AXγ-positive hepatocytes (a marker of DNA double strand breaks) in mice exposed to 5,000 mg/L 1,4-DX for one and four weeks. In addition, an expansion of precholangiocytes was observed after four weeks of 5,000 mg/L 1,4-DX exposure, as reflected by CK-7 immunostaining. An increase in these markers reflect both DNA damage and repair mechanisms. Liver transcriptomics profiling showed that exposure to 5,000 mg/L 1,4-DX for four weeks resulted in the differential expression of 65 genes compared to controls. Pathway analysis of the transcriptomic data revealed 1,4-DX-induced perturbations in multiple signaling pathways in the liver, including those involved in xenobiotic metabolism, nicotine degradation and glutathione-mediated detoxification. Changes to these pathways as a result of 1,4-DX exposure reflect would be predicted to impact the oxidative stress response, detoxification, and DNA damage. Liver, kidney, stool and urine metabolomics profiling revealed no effect of 5,000 mg/L 1,4-DX exposure for one or four weeks on metabolites. We speculate that this may be reflective of DNA damage being counterbalanced by the repair response, with the net result being a null overall effect on the systemic biochemistry of the exposed mice. Our results show a novel approach for the investigation of environmental chemicals that do not elicit cell death, but have activated the repair systems in response to 1,4-DX exposure

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Insights into the mode of action of chitosan as an antibacterial compound.

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Insights into the mode of action of chitosan as an antibacterial compound.

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