Enhancing the Antibacterial Impact of Lipopeptide Extracted from Bacillus licheniformis as a Probiotic against MDR Acinetobacter baumannii

• Published in: Frontiers in bioscience (Landmark. Print) 2024-04, Vol.29 (5), p.171-171
• Main Authors: Hosseini Bafghi, Mahdi, Ghanipour, Farangis, Nazari, Razieh, Aghaei, Seyed Soheil, Jafari, Parvaneh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acinetobacter baumannii; Acinetobacter baumannii - drug effects; Acinetobacter baumannii - genetics; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Bacillus licheniformis - genetics; Bacillus licheniformis - metabolism; Biofilms - drug effects; drug resistance; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial - drug effects; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial - genetics; Lipopeptides - pharmacology; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; pga operon genes; probiotics; Probiotics - pharmacology
• ISSN: 2768-6701; 2768-6698
• DOI: 10.31083/j.fbl2905171

The antibiotic resistance of microorganisms is escalating rapidly. Infections caused by opportunistic pathogens in immunocompromised individuals have prompted researchers to seek for potent and safe antibacterial agents. The purpose of this investigation was to explore the suppression of virulence gene expression, specifically the operon genes responsible in biofilm formation in , through the utilization of metabolites obtained from probiotic bacteria. To assess the antimicrobial properties, standard strains of five probiotic bacteria were tested against a standard strain of multidrug-resistant (MDR) employing the agar gel diffusion technique. Following the identification of the most potent probiotic strain ( ), the existence of its and genes was confirmed using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques were employed to identify the intended metabolite, which was found to be a lipopeptide nature. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values and anti-biofilm activity of the targeted metabolite were determined using a dilution method in 96-well microplates and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Real-time PCR (qPCR) was utilized for comparing the expression of operon genes, including , in pre- and post-exposure to the derived lipopeptide. The MIC results indicated that the probiotic product inhibited the growth of at concentrations lower than those needed for conventional antibiotics. Furthermore, it was observed that the desired genes' expression decreased due to the effect of this substance. This research concludes that the probiotic product could be a viable alternative for combating drug resistance in .