Abstract:

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that contributes to high morbidity and mortality. MexAB-OprM is the main efflux pump among the Resistance-Nodulation-Division family multi-drug efflux systems, which contribute greatly to the multidrug resistance of P. aeruginosa. Efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs) of MexAB-OprM could enhance the activity of the antibiotics effluxed by MexAB-OprM, and thus they might be useful in the clinic as antibacterial synergistic agents. In this work, a new EPI of MexAB-OprM, KL-0153, was discovered by screening of a small molecular library. Its inhibition of MexAB-OprM was confirmed by assays of synergistic activity and EB accumulation. The activity of KL-0153 was shown to be synergistic with antibiotics effluxed by MexAB-OprM when they were tested against strains expressing MexAB-OprM, especially so for the strains that express MexAB-OprM at high levels. KL-0153 showed more activity than the positive drug carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone in the EB accumulation assay. It cannot be neglected that KL-0153 has significant liver and kidney toxicity. However, KL-0153 may be a lead compound for the research and development of new types of EPIs.

Key words: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Multi-drug resistance, Efflux pump, MexAB-OprM, Inhibitor, Antibacterial drug synergistic agent