Antibiotic resistance (ATBR) is increasing every year as the overuse of antibiotics (ATBs) and the lack of newly emerging antimicrobial agents lead to an efficient pathogen escape from ATBs action. This trend is alarming and the World Health Organization warned in 2021 that ATBR could become the leading cause of death worldwide by 2050. The development of novel ATBs is not fast enough considering the situation, and alternative strategies are therefore urgently required. One such alternative may be the use of non-thermal plasma (NTP), a well-established antimicrobial agent actively used in a growing number of medical fields. Despite its efficiency, NTP alone is not always sufficient to completely eliminate pathogens. However, NTP combined with ATBs is more potent and evidence has been emerging over the last few years proving this is a robust and highly effective strategy to fight resistant pathogens. This minireview summarizes experimental research addressing the potential of the NTP-ATBs combination, particularly for inhibiting planktonic and biofilm growth and treating infections in mouse models caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The published studies highlight this combination as a promising solution to emerging ATBR, and further research is therefore highly desirable.

• Klíčová slova
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), combinatory therapy, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus,
• MeSH
• antibakteriální látky * farmakologie   terapeutické užití   MeSH
• antibiotická rezistence MeSH
• bakteriální léková rezistence MeSH
• biofilmy * účinky léků   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• methicilin rezistentní Staphylococcus aureus účinky léků   MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• myši MeSH
• plazmové plyny * farmakologie   MeSH
• pseudomonádové infekce mikrobiologie   farmakoterapie   MeSH
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa účinky léků   MeSH
• stafylokokové infekce mikrobiologie   farmakoterapie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• myši MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH

The increasing risk of antibiotic failure in the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections is largely related to the production of a wide range of virulence factors. The use of non-thermal plasma (NTP) is a promising alternative to antimicrobial treatment. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of knowledge about the effects of NTP on the virulence factors production. We evaluated the ability of four NTP-affected P. aeruginosa strains to re-form biofilm and produce Las-B elastase, proteases, lipases, haemolysins, gelatinase or pyocyanin. Highly strains-dependent inhibitory activity of NTP against extracellular virulence factors production was observed. Las-B elastase activity was reduced up to 82% after 15-min NTP treatment, protease activity and pyocyanin production by biofilm cells was completely inhibited after 60 min, in contrast to lipases and gelatinase production, which remained unchanged. However, for all strains tested, a notable reduction in biofilm re-development ability was depicted using spinning disc confocal microscopy. In addition, NTP exposure of mature biofilms caused disruption of biofilm cells and their dispersion into the environment, as shown by transmission electron microscopy. This appears to be a key step that could help overcome the high resistance of P. aeruginosa and its eventual elimination, for example in combination with antibiotics still highly effective against planktonic cells.

• Klíčová slova
• antivirulence factors, biofilm disruption, cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), combined therapy, haemolytic activity,
• MeSH
• antibakteriální látky farmakologie   MeSH
• biofilmy MeSH
• endopeptidasy farmakologie   MeSH
• faktory virulence MeSH
• hemolyziny farmakologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• pankreatická elastasa MeSH
• plankton MeSH
• plazmové plyny * farmakologie   MeSH
• proteasy MeSH
• pseudomonádové infekce * MeSH
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa MeSH
• pyokyanin MeSH
• quorum sensing MeSH
• želatinasy farmakologie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antibakteriální látky MeSH
• endopeptidasy MeSH
• faktory virulence MeSH
• hemolyziny MeSH
• pankreatická elastasa MeSH
• plazmové plyny * MeSH
• proteasy MeSH
• pyokyanin MeSH
• želatinasy MeSH