Statins have several effects beyond their well-known antihyperlipidemic activity, which include immunomodulatory, antioxidative and anticoagulant effects. In this study, we have tested the possible antimicrobial activity of statins against a range of standard bacterial strains and bacterial clinical isolates.

Introduction: The continuous increase in the incidence of bacterial resistance to existing antibiotics represents a worldwide health burden. A surrogate strategy to combat such crisis is to find compounds that restore the antimicrobial activity of the already existing antibiotics against multidrug resistant bacteria. Metformin is a commonly used antidiabetic medication. It has proven benefits in other diseases including cancer, aging-related and infectious diseases. In this study, the potential effect of metformin as an adjuvant therapy to antibiotics was investigated. Methods: Two multidrug resistant bacterial strains were used; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA; ATCC 33,591) and multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC BAA-2114). To assess its efficacy, metformin was combined with several antibiotics: levofloxacin, chloramphenicol, rifampicin, ampicillin, and doxycycline. The antibacterial effect of metformin was tested using the micro broth dilution method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was also measured. Cytotoxicity studies were also performed on mammalian cells to assess its safety. Results: Metformin exhibited an antibacterial effect when combined with the antibiotics on the two tested strains. It also showed low toxicity on the mammalian cells. Moreover, synergetic studies showed that metformin enhanced the effect of the combined antibiotics, as these combinations provide either a synergistic or additive effect with significant reduction in the MIC. Conclusion: Metformin exerts an adjuvant antibacterial effect; thus, it could be a possible candidate as an adjuvant therapy to reduce antimicrobial resistance.

An in vitro overview of the inhibitory effects of selected fluoroquinolones against planktonic and biofilm cells of the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain American type culture collection (ATCC) 43300 and the Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain ATCC 27853 was carried out. Biofilm cells of both strains were less susceptible to the selected antibiotics than their planktonic counterparts. In addition, certain antibiotics were more effective against biofilm cells, while others performed better on the planktonic cells. Against P. aeruginosa, ciprofloxacin was the most potent on both planktonic and biofilm cells, whereas ofloxacin was the least potent on both biofilm and planktonic cells. Moxifloxacin and gatifloxacin were the most potent against both planktonic and biofilm MRSA bacteria, however, not in the same order of activity. Norfloxacin was the least active when tested against both planktonic and biofilm cells. The results of this work are expected to provide insight into the efficacy of various fluoroquinolones against MRSA and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. This study could form the basis for future clinical studies that could recommend special guidelines for the management of infections that are likely to involve bacteria in their biofilm state.

Ciprofloxacin works through interfering with replication and transcription of bacterial DNA, which leads to increased oxidative stress, and death of bacterial cells. Drugs with strong antioxidant such as tempol, melatonin and pentoxifylline might interfere with the antibacterial activity of ciprofloxacin. In the current study, the effect of these drugs on the cytotoxicity of ciprofloxacin was investigated against several reference bacteria. Standard bacterial strains included Escherichia coli ATCC 35218, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC29213, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027, Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228, Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 17978, Proteus mirabilis ATCC 12459, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 13883, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (ATCC 43300), and Streptococcus pneumoniae (ATCC 25923). The antibacterial activity of ciprofloxacin with or without treatment of bacterial cells by tempol, melatonin or pentoxifylline was assessed using the disc diffusion method and by measuring the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and zones of inhibition of bacterial growth. All of the tested bacterial strains were sensitive to ciprofloxacin. When treated with tempol, melatonin or pentoxifylline, all bacterial strains showed significantly smaller zones of inhibition and larger MIC values compared ciprofloxacin alone. In correlation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation induced by ciprofloxacin antibacterial action was diminished by treatment of bacterial cells with tempol, melatonin or pentoxifylline. In conclusion, results indicate the possible antagonistic properties for agents with antioxidant properties such as tempol, melatonin and pentoxifylline when they are used concurrently with flouroquinolones. This could be related to the ability of these agents to inhibit oxidative stress in bacterial cells.

Background: Periodontal bacteria occur in both planktonic and biofilm forms. While poor oral hygiene leads to accumulation of bacteria, reducing these microbes is the first step toward good oral hygiene. This is usually achieved through the use of mouthwash solutions. However, the exact antibacterial activity of mouthwash solution, especially when bacteria form biofilms, is yet to be determined. In this study, we evaluated the antibacterial activity of common mouthwash solutions against standard bacteria in their planktonic and biofilm states. Methods: Standard bacterial strains were cultured, and biofilm were formrd. Thereafter, using standard method for determination of minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) values of various mouthwash solutions were determined. Results: Results show that common mouthwash solutions have variable antibacterial activity depending on their major active components. Only mouthwash solutions containing chlorohexidine gluconate or cetylpyridinum chloride exhibited activity against majority, but not all tested bacterial strains in their biofilm state. Additionally, bacteria are generally less susceptible to all mouthwash solutions in their biofilm as compared to planktonic state. Conclusions: While mouthwash solutions have variable antibacterial activity, bacteria in their biofilm state pose a challenge to dental hygiene/care where bacteria become not susceptible to majority of available mouthwash solutions. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4021/jocmr1535w