Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research (ISSN : 0975-7384)

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Original Articles: 2011 Vol: 3 Issue: 1

A novel strategy to control emerging drug resistant infections

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in hospitals and the community has significantly limited the effectiveness of current drugs resulting in treatment failure. Moreover, bacterial cells growing within biofilms exhibit increased resistance to antibacterial agents, making it imperative that alternative approaches be explored to improve treatment strategies. The present study investigates the antimicrobial activity of chitosan (CS), quaternary ammonium chitosan derivative (QCS) and their nanoparticulate forms against clinically derived methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and extended-spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli. Chitosan nanoparticles (CS NP) and quaternary ammonium chitosan derivative nanoparticles (QCS NP) were prepared using the ionic gelation method and characterised using scanning electron microscope and zeta potential analyzer. The minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of all the particles was determined. There was about 1.5 to 4 fold reduction in the minimum inhibitory concentration of CS NP and QCS NP for both the test organisms when compared to the parent CS and QCS particles. Potent invitro activity against biofilms of MRSA and ESBL-producing Escherichia coli was observed using CS and QCS nanoparticles. Our data demonstrates the antimicrobial efficacy of nanoparticulate forms of chitosan and its quarternized N-alkyl derivative and suggests their potential as novel therapeutic agents against emerging drug resistant bacteria.