paenibacterin and Sepsis

Paenibacterin, produced by Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus OSY-SE, is active both against Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant strains of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. Paenibacterin showed relatively low cytotoxicity against a human kidney cell line (ATCC CRL-2190), with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50)≥109μg/mL. The cationic paenibacterin molecule binds to the negatively charged Gram-negative endotoxins in vitro, suggesting that paenibacterin can neutralise lipopolysaccharides. In a murine septic shock model, two 500μg doses of paenibacterin significantly increased the survival of mice challenged with a lethal level of P. aeruginosa. Considering that paenibacterin is effective against many strains of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, this study suggests that this antimicrobial agent is a promising candidate as a new drug.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cell Line; Cell Survival; Endotoxins; Epithelial Cells; Female; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Gram-Positive Bacteria; Humans; Lipopeptides; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Sepsis; Survival Analysis