title: Inhibition of quorum-sensing-dependent virulence factors and biofilm formation of clinical and environmental Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains by ZnO nanoparticles.
abstract: Quorum quenching decreases Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence factors and biofilm formation, alleviating infections in animal models. Nevertheless, it is usually performed in laboratory strains such as PAO1 and PA14, and studies involving clinical or environmental isolates are scarce. In this work, the effects of ZnO nanoparticles, a potent quorum and virulence quencher for the PAO1 strain, were tested in six clinical strains from cystic fibrosis patients, a furanone C-30 resistant clinical strain from urine, two PA14 gallium resistant mutants, a PA14 C-30 resistant mutant and four environmental isolates. ZnO nanoparticles effectively decreased elastase, pyocyanin, and biofilm formation for most of the strains; regardless their origin or their resistance against the canonical quorum quencher C-30 or the novel antimicrobial gallium. The data indicate ZnO nanoparticles may have a broad spectrum for the quorum quenching of relevant strains and that may be an alternative to treat Ps. aeruginosa recalcitrant infections.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Virulence inhibition by quorum quenchers in Pseudomonas aeruginosa is usually tested in laboratory strains and studies of their effects in relevant clinical and environmental strains are scarce. This study is significant as the effects of ZnO nanoparticles in QS-dependent virulence factor production were tested in six clinical strains from cystic fibrosis patients, a C-30 resistant clinical strain from urine, two PA14 gallium resistant mutants, a PA14 C-30 resistant mutant, and four environmental isolates. ZnO nanoparticles decreased elastase, pyocyanin, and biofilms for most of the strains; indicating they have broad spectrum and may be an alternative to treat Ps. aeruginosa infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: García-Lara
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: M Á
authors.initials: MÁ
authors.lastname: Saucedo-Mora
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Roldán-Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pérez-Eretza
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Korea.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ramasamy
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Korea.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Bacteriology, National Institute of Pediatrics, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Coria-Jimenez
authors.affiliation: Centro Conjunto de Investigación en Química Sustentable UAEM-UNAM, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca, Mexico.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tapia
authors.affiliation: Centro Conjunto de Investigación en Química Sustentable UAEM-UNAM, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca, Mexico.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Varela-Guerrero
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: García-Contreras
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000382:microbiology; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005663:Furans; D005708:Gallium / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase / Q000378:metabolism; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D011710:Pyocyanine / Q000378:metabolism; D053038:Quorum Sensing / Q000187:drug effects*; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D005663:Furans; D037521:Virulence Factors; C494198:furanone C-30; D011710:Pyocyanine; D005708:Gallium; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase; D015034:Zinc Oxide
keywords: antimicrobials; pseudomonads; quorum quenching; quorum sensing; virulence