Effect of human amniotic membrane homogenate on uropathogenic Escherichia coli and their ability to form biofilmsNajdovska, Marija (Avtor) Erdani Kreft, Mateja (Mentor) Starčič Erjavec, Marjanca (Komentor) Escherichia coliUPECurinary tract infectionsbiofilmhuman amniotic membranehuman amniotic membrane homogenateantimicrobial peptidesThe emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial strains represents a major health concern that requires research into alternative methods for managing bacterial infections. Our aim was to test the effect of a new potential agent - human amniotic membrane (hAM) homogenate - on biofilm formation of selected antibiotic-resistant uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strains, including MDR strains. In addition, we screened the UPEC strains for the presence of virulence-associated genes. Ten different UPEC strains were employed and tested for their ability to form biofilms. We then selected four of these UPEC strains (DL 9, DL 13, DL 14 and DL 88) for further investigation of the effect of the hAM homogenate. The hAM homogenates were prepared in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or ADMEM + F12 medium. Cultures grown overnight in Luria-Bretani (LB) were diluted in fresh LB, PBS or hAM homogenate, inoculated into a 96-well microtiter plate and incubated at 37°C for 24 hours. We aimed to evaluate the effect of the hAM homogenate on the biofilm-forming ability of the UPEC strains using crystal violet assay and colony-forming units (CFU) determination assay. Three of the four UPEC strains tested (DL9, DL13 and DL88) were found to have the highest capacity for biofilm formation in LB, an intermediate capacity in PBS and the lowest capacity for biofilm formation in the hAM homogenate. The hAM homogenate was found to negatively affect the biofilm-forming ability of these UPEC strains, indicating its potential as an alternative treatment strategy against UPEC.[M. Najdovska]20242024-09-15 07:16:54Magistrsko delo/naloga161842sl