Nitrosoglutathione generating nitric oxide nanoparticles as an improved strategy for combating Pseudomonas aeruginosa-infected wounds

J Drugs Dermatol. 2012 Dec;11(12):1471-7.

Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a community-acquired, nosocomial pathogen that is an important cause of human morbidity and mortality; it is intrinsically resistant to several antibiotics and is capable of developing resistance to newly developed drugs via a variety of mechanisms. P aeruginosa's ubiquity and multidrug resistance (MDR) warrants the development of innovative methods that overcome its ability to develop resistance. We have previously described a nitric oxide-releasing nanoparticle (NO-np) platform that effectively kills gram-positive and gram-negative organisms in vitro and accelerates clinical recovery in vivo in murine wound and abscess infection models. We have also demonstrated that when glutathione (GSH) is added to NO-np, the nitroso intermediate S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) is formed, which has greater activity against P aeruginosa and other gram-negative organisms compared with NO-np alone. In the current study, we evaluate the potential of NO-np to generate GSNO both in vitro and in vivo in a murine excisional wound model infected with an MDR clinical isolate of P aeruginosa. Whereas NO-np alone inhibited P aeruginosa growth in vitro for up to 8 hours, NO-np+GSH completely inhibited P aeruginosa growth for 24 hours. Percent survival in the NO-np+GSH-treated isolates was significantly lower than in the NO-np (36.1% vs 8.3%; P=.004). In addition, NO-np+GSH accelerated wound closure in P aeruginosa-infected wounds, and NO-np+GSH-treated wounds had significantly lower bacterial burden when compared to NO-np-treated wounds (P<.001). We conclude that GSNO is easily generated from our NO-np platform and has the potential to be used as an antimicrobial agent against MDR organisms such as P aeruginosa.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Colony Count, Microbial
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Nanoparticles
  • Nitric Oxide / administration & dosage
  • Nitric Oxide / therapeutic use*
  • Pseudomonas Infections / drug therapy*
  • Pseudomonas Infections / microbiology
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa / drug effects
  • S-Nitrosoglutathione / metabolism*
  • Skin / microbiology
  • Surgical Wound Infection / drug therapy*
  • Surgical Wound Infection / microbiology
  • Vasodilator Agents / administration & dosage
  • Vasodilator Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Wound Healing / drug effects

Substances

  • Vasodilator Agents
  • Nitric Oxide
  • S-Nitrosoglutathione