Enhancement of the Bactericidal Effect of Antibiotics by Inhibition of Enzymes Involved in Production of Hydrogen Sulfide in Bacteria

• Published in: Molecular biology (New York) Vol. 56; no. 5; pp. 638 - 648
• Main Authors: Seregina, T. A., Lobanov, K. V., Shakulov, R. S., Mironov, A. S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal models; Antibiotics; Bacteria; Biochemistry; Biofilms; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Human Genetics; Hydrogen; Hydrogen sulfide; Life Sciences; Multidrug resistance; Multidrug resistant organisms; Oxidative metabolism; Oxidative stress; Pathogens; Quinolones; Virial Infections: and Pathogenesis Mechanisms to Therapy; Virial Infections: Replication and Pathogenesis Mechanisms to Therapy; β-Lactam antibiotics; hydrogen sulfide generation; bacteria; antibiotics; inhibitors of hydrogen sulfide generation ferments; oxidative stress; new class of antimicrobial drugs
• ISSN: 0026-8933; 1608-3245
• DOI: 10.1134/S0026893322050120

Counteraction of the origin and distribution of multidrug-resistant pathogens responsible for intra-hospital infections is a worldwide issue in medicine. In this brief review, we discuss the results of our recent investigations, which argue that many antibiotics, along with inactivation of their traditional biochemical targets, can induce oxidative stress (ROS production), thus resulting in increased bactericidal efficiency. As we previously showed, hydrogen sulfide, which is produced in the cells of different pathogens protects them not only against oxidative stress but also against bactericidal antibiotics. Next, we clarified the interplay of oxidative stress, cysteine metabolism, and hydrogen sulfide production. Finally, demonstrated that small molecules, which inhibit a bacterial enzyme involved in hydrogen sulfide production, potentiate bactericidal antibiotics including quinolones, beta-lactams, and aminoglycosides against bacterial pathogens in in vitro and in mouse models of infection. These inhibitors also suppress bacterial tolerance to antibiotics by disrupting the biofilm formation and substantially reducing the number of persister bacteria, which survive the antibiotic treatment. We hypothesise that agents which limit hydrogen sulfide biosynthesis are effective tools to counteract the origin and distribution of multidrug-resistant pathogens.