title: Synergism between outer membrane proteins and antimicrobials.
abstract: Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are becoming one of the most important problems in health care because of the number of resistant strains and the paucity of new effective antimicrobials. Since antibiotic-resistant bacteria will continue to increase, it is necessary to look for new alternative strategies to fight against them. It is generally accepted that Gram-negative bacteria are intrinsically less susceptible than Gram-positive bacteria to antimicrobials. The main reason is that Gram-negative bacteria are surrounded by a permeability barrier known as the outer membrane (OM). Hydrophilic solutes most often cross the OM through water-filled channels formed by a particular family of proteins known as porins. This work explores the possibility of using exogenous porins to lower the required amounts of antibiotics (ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, cefotaxime, clindamycin, erythromycin, and tetracycline). Porins had a bactericidal effect on Escherichia coli cultures, mainly in the logarithmic phase of growth, when combined with low antibiotic concentrations. The use of different antibiotic-porin mixtures showed a bactericidal effect greater than those of antibiotics and porins when used separately. It was possible to observe different behaviors according to the antibiotic type used.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, School of Pharmacy, University of Santiago de Compostela, Campus Vida, CP15782 Santiago de Compostela La Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Veiga-Crespo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fusté
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vinuesa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Viñas
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Villa
mesh_terms: D000667:Ampicillin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002439:Cefotaxime / Q000494:pharmacology; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D002939:Ciprofloxacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D002981:Clindamycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000494:pharmacology; D014709:Vero Cells
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D002981:Clindamycin; D002939:Ciprofloxacin; D004917:Erythromycin; D000667:Ampicillin; D013752:Tetracycline; D002439:Cefotaxime