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Antimicrobial activity of cationic water-soluble porphyrin against multidrug-resistant bacteria in biofilms and canine skin samples

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Abstract

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms pose a threat to animal health, particularly in integumentary diseases, which can be caused by multiple organisms and often manifest as biofilms, hindering treatment effectiveness. We evaluated the antimicrobial activity of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) using a water-soluble tetra-cationic porphyrin (4-H2TMeP) against MDR bacteria cultured in biofilm and in mono and polyculture grown on canine skin samples. We utilized 4-H2TMeP porphyrin against MDR Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius. A non-cytotoxic concentration of 4-H2TMeP (40 µM), previously shown to be effective in vitro against these bacteria cultured in solution, was employed. Biofilms were treated with 4-H2TMeP and subjected to light irradiation for 30, 60, and 90 min. Monocultures on canine skin samples were treated with 4-H2TMeP and irradiated for 30 (S. pseudintermedius), 60 (E. coli), or 60 and 90 min (P. aeruginosa). Polycultures of S. pseudintermedius and E. coli were treated with light for 60 and 90 min. The efficacy of aPDT was evaluated by plating light-exposed biofilms, mono and polycultures of bacteria obtained from skin samples exposed to light and kept in the dark. Colony-forming units were counted after 24 h of incubation at 37 °C. aPDT using 4-H2TMeP reduced bacterial concentrations of S. pseudintermedius and E. coli biofilms. Additionally, it significantly reduced bacterial concentrations cultivated on skin samples, with a particular emphasis on S. pseudintermedius. These findings indicate that aPDT with 4-H2TMeP is a promising alternative treatment against MDR bacteria in animal skin infections and should be further explored through in vivo research.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, Processes 403210/2021-6, 305458/2021-3, and 402780/2021-3), the Research Support Foundation of Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS 21/2551-0002114-4), and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES, financial code 001) for financial support and Atlas Assessoria Linguística for language editing.

Funding

This work was financially supported by National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, Processes 403210/2021-6, 305458/2021-3, and 402780/2021-3), the Research Support Foundation of Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS 21/2551-0002114-4), and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES, financial code 001) for financial support and Atlas Assessoria Linguística for language editing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Veterinary Medicine Graduate Programe, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Mayara Rosa Bernicker & Marlane Geribone Seeger

  2. Biomedicine Undergraduate Program, Universidade Franciscana, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Caroline Arend Birrer

  3. Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Porphyrinic Materials, Department of Chemistry, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Bernardo Almeida Iglesias

  4. Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Fernanda Silveira Flôres Vogel & Juliana Felipetto Cargnelutti

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  1. Mayara Rosa Bernicker
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  2. Caroline Arend Birrer
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  4. Bernardo Almeida Iglesias
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  5. Fernanda Silveira Flôres Vogel
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  6. Juliana Felipetto Cargnelutti
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Contributions

M.R.B: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Validation, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Conceptualization. C.A.B. and M.G.S.: Validation, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Conceptualization. B.A.I: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Methodology, Funding acquisition. F.S.F.V.: Writing – review & editing, Supervision, Conceptualization. J.F.C.: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Supervision, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Conceptualization.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Juliana Felipetto Cargnelutti.

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This article contains no studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors. The canine skin samples were obtained from deceased animals slated for biological disposal.

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Bernicker, M.R., Birrer, C.A., Seeger, M.G. et al. Antimicrobial activity of cationic water-soluble porphyrin against multidrug-resistant bacteria in biofilms and canine skin samples. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 40, 124 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-024-03939-7

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