Silver Nanoparticles Targeting the Drug Resistance Problem of Streptococcus dysgalactiae: Susceptibility to Antibiotics and Efflux Effect

Int J Mol Sci. 2022 May 27;23(11):6024. doi: 10.3390/ijms23116024.

Abstract

The present work is a continuation of our translational research focusing on the use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to solve the global problem of antibiotic resistance. In vivo fieldwork was done with 300 breeding farm cows with serous mastitis. Ex vivo assays revealed that after cow treatment with the antibiotic drug Spectromast LCTM, S.dysgalactiae susceptibility to 31 antibiotics dropped by 22.9%, but after treatment with Argovit-CTM AgNPs, it was raised by 13.1%. This was explained by the fact that the percentage of isolates with an efflux effect after Spectromast LC treatment resulted in an 8% increase, while Argovit-C-treatment caused a 19% decrease. The similarity of these results to our previous results on S. aureus isolates from mastitis cows treated with the antibiotic drug Lactobay and Argovit-CTM AgNPs was shown. So, mastitis treatments with Argovit-CTM AgNPs can partially return the activity of antibiotics towards S.dysgalactiae and S. aureus, while, in contrast, treatments with antibiotic drugs such as Spectromast LC and Lactobay enhance bacterial resistance to antibiotics. The results of this work strengthen the hope that in the future the use of AgNPs as efflux pump inhibitors will recover the activity of antibiotics, and thus will preserve the wide spectrum of antibiotics on the market.

Keywords: AgNPs; Streptococcus dysgalactiae; drug resistance; efflux effect; translational research.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Cattle
  • Drug Resistance
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mastitis, Bovine* / drug therapy
  • Mastitis, Bovine* / microbiology
  • Metal Nanoparticles*
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Silver / pharmacology
  • Silver / therapeutic use
  • Staphylococcus aureus
  • Streptococcus

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Silver

Supplementary concepts

  • Streptococcus canis
  • Streptococcus dysgalactiae

Grants and funding

This research was funded with grant No. 1073 within the program “Investigadoras e investigadores por México” by CONACYT, México and within Tomsk Polytechnic University Development Program Priority 2030 by Tomsk Polytechnic University, Russia.