Amniotic membrane preparation crucially affects its broad-spectrum activity against uropathogenic bacteria

Železnik Ramuta, Taja (author), Starčič Erjavec, Marjanca (author), Erdani-Kreft, Mateja (author)

Urinary tract infections are among the most common bacterial infections in humans. Moreover, they are highly recurrent and increasingly often resistant to antibiotics. The antimicrobial properties of the amniotic membrane (AM), the innermost layer of fetal membranes, have been briefly reported in the literature, however, the results of published studies are often inconsistent and unclear; moreover, its effect on uropathogenic bacteria has not yet been investigated. Further, there is no data in the literature about the effect of AM preparation and storage on its antimicrobial properties. To examine the impact of several preparation procedures on the antimicrobial properties of AM, we prepared patches and homogenates of fresh (fAM) and cryopreserved (cAM) human AM and tested them on 14 selected Gram-positive and Gram-negative uropathogenic bacteria. By employing novel antimicrobial efficiency assays we showed that fAM and cAM homogenates have broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against all here tested uropathogenic bacteria, except for Serratia marcescens. Moreover, they had a potent effect also on the multiple-resistant clinical strains of uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Interestingly, the patches of fAM and cAM had no antimicrobial effect on any of the tested strains. We therefore prepared and stored AM patches according to the standard procedure for clinical use in ophthalmology, which includes the cryopreservation of antibiotic-treated AM, and performed antimicrobial efficiency assays. Our findings suggest that the ultrastructure of AM patches could enable the retention of added antibiotics. In addition, we also prepared gentamicin-resistant uropathogenic E. coli strains, which confirmed that the antimicrobial effect of antibiotic-treated AM patches can be attributed to the antibiotic alone. To summarize, here we describe novel protocols for preparation and storage of AM to ensure the preservation of its antimicrobial factors. Moreover, we describe the mechanism of AM retention of antibiotics, based on which the AM could potentially be used as a drug delivery vehicle in future clinically applicable approaches.

• Language: English
• Keywords: amniotic membrane, uropathogenic bacteria, antimicrobial effect, broad-spectrum, microscopy, ultrastructure, homogenate, patches
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine; BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2020
• Number of pages: 17 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 11, art. 469
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-128785
• UDC: 616.6
• ISSN on article: 1664-302X
• DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00469
• COBISS.SI-ID: 34747609
• Publication date in RUL: 29.07.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Frontiers in microbiology
• Shortened title: Front. microbiol.
• Publisher: Frontiers Research Foundation
• ISSN: 1664-302X
• COBISS.SI-ID: 4146296

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 24.03.2020

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: amnijska membrana, uropatogene bakterije, protimikrobni učinek