Metabolomic analysis of Staphylococcus aureus: Exploring altered cellular pathways after the application of biogenic silver nanoparticles and antimicrobials using an NMR approach

The main objective of this research is to apply metabolomics by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to investigate the effects of biogenic silver nanoparticles and other antimicrobials on pathogenic bacteria to animals and humans, specifically on Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Metabolite identification will be performed in wild-type cells and cells treated with the biological agents, so that the comparative analyses conducted contribute to the discovery of altered cellular metabolic pathways in the cells and reveal the modes of action of antimicrobials. Systemic infections caused by S. aureus, a Gram-positive bacterium, often involve the disruption of skin integrity and are caused by the proliferation of pathogens or by the action of toxins secreted by these organisms. The emergence and spread of resistance to many classes of antibiotics represent a growing threat to public health [1]. Given the great applicability of biogenic silver nanoparticles, it is indicated that these nanomaterials prove to be a safe alternative for their topical antimicrobial formulation to conventional antimicrobial agents. A recent study concluded that AgNPs do not penetrate human skin, even in clinical cases with damage to the skin surface, demonstrating their wide viability in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic market [2].

References

[1] Leng, W., Wu, X., Shi, T., Xiong, Z., Yuan, L., Jin, W., Gao, R. (2021) Untargeted metabolomics on skin mucus extract of Channa argus against Staphylococcus aureus: Antimicrobial activity and mechanism. Foods, 10(12), 2995. https://doi.org/110.3390/foods10122995.

[2] Santos, L. M., Stanisic, D., Menezes, U. J., Mendonça, M. A., Barral, T. D., Seyffert, N., Azevedo, V., Durán, N., Meyer, R., Tasic, L., Portela, R. W. (2019). Biogenic silver nanoparticles as a post-surgical treatment for Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in small ruminants. Front. Microbiol., 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00824

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the funding agencies, especially, the Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Grant numbers #2023/02338-0 and #2023/03760-8