In Vitro Activity of Sertraline, an Antidepressant, Against Antibiotic-Susceptible and Antibiotic-Resistant Helicobacter pylori Strains

• Published in: Pathogens (Basel) 2019-11, Vol.8 (4), p.228
• Main Authors: Krzyżek, Paweł, Franiczek, Roman, Krzyżanowska, Barbara, Łaczmański, Łukasz, Migdał, Paweł, Gościniak, Grażyna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amoxicillin; Antibacterial activity; Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotics; Antidepressants; Antimicrobial agents; Assaying; Bacteria; Bactericidal activity; checkerboard assay; Clarithromycin; coccoid forms; Drug resistance; Fluorescence; Helicobacter pylori; Metronidazole; Microorganisms; Microscopy; Morphology; Scanning electron microscopy; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor; Sertraline; Strains (organisms); Time dependence; time-killing assay; Ulcers
• ISSN: 2076-0817; 2076-0817
• DOI: 10.3390/pathogens8040228

Antibiotic resistance of , a spiral bacterium associated with gastric diseases, is a topic that has been intensively discussed in last decades. Recent discoveries indicate promising antimicrobial and antibiotic-potentiating properties of sertraline (SER), an antidepressant substance. The aim of the study, therefore, was to determine the antibacterial activity of SER in relation to antibiotic-sensitive and antibiotic-resistant strains. The antimicrobial tests were performed using a diffusion-disk method, microdilution method, and time-killing assay. The interaction between SER and antibiotics (amoxicillin, clarithromycin, tetracycline, and metronidazole) was determined by using a checkerboard method. In addition, the study was expanded to include observations by light, fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy. The growth inhibition zones were in the range of 19-37 mm for discs impregnated with 2 mg of SER. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) counted for 2-8 µg/mL and 4-8 µg/mL, respectively. The time-killing assay showed the time-dependent and concentration-dependent bactericidal activity of SER. Bacteria exposed to MBCs (but not sub-MICs and MICs ≠ MBCs) underwent morphological transformation into coccoid forms. This mechanism, however, was not protective because these cells after a 24-h incubation had a several-fold reduced green/red fluorescence ratio compared to the control. Using the checkerboard assay, a synergistic/additive interaction of SER with all four antibiotics tested was demonstrated. These results indicate that SER may be a promising anti- compound.