Fighting Microbial Infections from <i>Escherichia coli</i> O157:H7: The Combined Use of Three Essential Oils of the <i>Cymbopogon</i> Genus and a Derivative of Esculentin-1a Peptide
The absence of effective therapy against <i>Escherichia coli</i> O157:H7 infections has led to the need to develop new antimicrobial agents. As the use of synergistic combinations of natural antimicrobial compounds is growing as a new weapon in the fight against multidrug-resistant bacte...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Antibiotics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/13/1/86 |
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| author | Raffaella Scotti Bruno Casciaro Annarita Stringaro Filippo Maggi Marisa Colone Roberta Gabbianelli |
| author_facet | Raffaella Scotti Bruno Casciaro Annarita Stringaro Filippo Maggi Marisa Colone Roberta Gabbianelli |
| author_sort | Raffaella Scotti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The absence of effective therapy against <i>Escherichia coli</i> O157:H7 infections has led to the need to develop new antimicrobial agents. As the use of synergistic combinations of natural antimicrobial compounds is growing as a new weapon in the fight against multidrug-resistant bacteria, here, we have tested new synergistic combinations of natural agents. Notably, we investigated a possible synergistic effect of combinations of essential oils and natural peptides to counteract the formation of biofilm. We chose three essential oils (i.e., <i>Cymbopogon citratus</i>, <i>C. flexuosus</i> and <i>C. martinii</i>) and one peptide already studied in our previous works. We determined the fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) by analyzing the combination of the peptide derived from esculentin-1a, Esc(1–21), with the three essential oils. We also studied the effects of combinations by time–kill curves, scanning electron microscopy on biofilm and Sytox Green on cell membrane permeability. Finally, we analyzed the expression of different genes implicated in motility, biofilm formation and stress responses. The results showed a different pattern of gene expression in bacteria treated with the mixtures compared to those treated with the peptide or the single <i>C. citratus</i> essential oil. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the three essential oils used in combination with the peptide showed synergy against the <i>E. coli</i> O157:H7, proving attractive as an alternative strategy against <i>E. coli</i> pathogen infections. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:07:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-67e8a3dc16bf4fd9a7d080285a9cc4ec |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-6382 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:07:15Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Antibiotics |
| spelling | doaj.art-67e8a3dc16bf4fd9a7d080285a9cc4ec2024-01-26T14:38:33ZengMDPI AGAntibiotics2079-63822024-01-011318610.3390/antibiotics13010086Fighting Microbial Infections from <i>Escherichia coli</i> O157:H7: The Combined Use of Three Essential Oils of the <i>Cymbopogon</i> Genus and a Derivative of Esculentin-1a PeptideRaffaella Scotti0Bruno Casciaro1Annarita Stringaro2Filippo Maggi3Marisa Colone4Roberta Gabbianelli5Biological Service, Italian National Institute of Health, 00161 Rome, ItalyLaboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, ItalyNational Center for Drug Research and Evaluation, Italian National Institute of Health, 00161 Rome, ItalyChemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP) Research Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, ItalyNational Center for Drug Research and Evaluation, Italian National Institute of Health, 00161 Rome, ItalyBiological Service, Italian National Institute of Health, 00161 Rome, ItalyThe absence of effective therapy against <i>Escherichia coli</i> O157:H7 infections has led to the need to develop new antimicrobial agents. As the use of synergistic combinations of natural antimicrobial compounds is growing as a new weapon in the fight against multidrug-resistant bacteria, here, we have tested new synergistic combinations of natural agents. Notably, we investigated a possible synergistic effect of combinations of essential oils and natural peptides to counteract the formation of biofilm. We chose three essential oils (i.e., <i>Cymbopogon citratus</i>, <i>C. flexuosus</i> and <i>C. martinii</i>) and one peptide already studied in our previous works. We determined the fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) by analyzing the combination of the peptide derived from esculentin-1a, Esc(1–21), with the three essential oils. We also studied the effects of combinations by time–kill curves, scanning electron microscopy on biofilm and Sytox Green on cell membrane permeability. Finally, we analyzed the expression of different genes implicated in motility, biofilm formation and stress responses. The results showed a different pattern of gene expression in bacteria treated with the mixtures compared to those treated with the peptide or the single <i>C. citratus</i> essential oil. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the three essential oils used in combination with the peptide showed synergy against the <i>E. coli</i> O157:H7, proving attractive as an alternative strategy against <i>E. coli</i> pathogen infections.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/13/1/86<i>Escherichia coli</i> O157:H7esculentin-1aessential oil<i>Cymbopogon</i> genusantibacterial activitybiofilm |
| spellingShingle | Raffaella Scotti Bruno Casciaro Annarita Stringaro Filippo Maggi Marisa Colone Roberta Gabbianelli Fighting Microbial Infections from <i>Escherichia coli</i> O157:H7: The Combined Use of Three Essential Oils of the <i>Cymbopogon</i> Genus and a Derivative of Esculentin-1a Peptide Antibiotics <i>Escherichia coli</i> O157:H7 esculentin-1a essential oil <i>Cymbopogon</i> genus antibacterial activity biofilm |
| title | Fighting Microbial Infections from <i>Escherichia coli</i> O157:H7: The Combined Use of Three Essential Oils of the <i>Cymbopogon</i> Genus and a Derivative of Esculentin-1a Peptide |
| title_full | Fighting Microbial Infections from <i>Escherichia coli</i> O157:H7: The Combined Use of Three Essential Oils of the <i>Cymbopogon</i> Genus and a Derivative of Esculentin-1a Peptide |
| title_fullStr | Fighting Microbial Infections from <i>Escherichia coli</i> O157:H7: The Combined Use of Three Essential Oils of the <i>Cymbopogon</i> Genus and a Derivative of Esculentin-1a Peptide |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fighting Microbial Infections from <i>Escherichia coli</i> O157:H7: The Combined Use of Three Essential Oils of the <i>Cymbopogon</i> Genus and a Derivative of Esculentin-1a Peptide |
| title_short | Fighting Microbial Infections from <i>Escherichia coli</i> O157:H7: The Combined Use of Three Essential Oils of the <i>Cymbopogon</i> Genus and a Derivative of Esculentin-1a Peptide |
| title_sort | fighting microbial infections from i escherichia coli i o157 h7 the combined use of three essential oils of the i cymbopogon i genus and a derivative of esculentin 1a peptide |
| topic | <i>Escherichia coli</i> O157:H7 esculentin-1a essential oil <i>Cymbopogon</i> genus antibacterial activity biofilm |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/13/1/86 |
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