Journal Articles
- Repositioning of a mucolytic drug to a selective antibacterial against Vibrio cholerae
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In-Young Chung† , Bi-o Kim† , Hye-Jeong Jang† , You-Hee Cho
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J. Microbiol. 2020;58(1):61-66. Published online January 2, 2020
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-020-9590-9
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Abstract
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Drug repositioning, the approach to explore existing drugs
for use in new therapeutic indications, has emerged as an alternative
drug development strategy. In this study, we found
that a mucolytic drug, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) showed antibacterial
activity against Vibrio cholerae. NAC can provide
acid stress that selectively inhibited the growth of V. cholerae
among other bacterial pathogens. To address the antibacterial
mechanism of NAC against V. cholerae, six acr (acetylcysteine-
resistant) mutants were isolated from 3,118 random
transposon insertion clones. The transposon insertion sites
of the six mutants were mapped at the five genes. All these
mutants did not display NAC resistance under acidic conditions,
despite their resistance to NAC under alkaline conditions,
indicating that the NAC resistance directed by the
acr mutations was independent of the unusual pH-sensitivity
of V. cholerae. Furthermore, all these mutants displayed
attenuated virulence and reduced biofilm formation, suggesting
that the acr genes are required for pathogenesis of
V. cholerae. This study validates the relevance of drug repositioning
for antibacterials with new modes of action and will
provide an insight into a novel antibacterial therapy for V.
cholerae infections to minimize side effects and resistance
emergence.
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- Identification of brevinin-1EMa-derived stapled peptides as broad-spectrum virus entry blockers
Mi Il Kim, Thanh K. Pham, Dahee Kim, Minkyung Park, Bi-o Kim, You-Hee Cho, Young-Woo Kim, Choongho Lee
Virology.2021; 561: 6. CrossRef
- N-acetylcysteine prevents the development of gastritis induced by Helicobacter pylori infection
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Sungil Jang , Eun-Jung Bak , Jeong-Heon Cha
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J. Microbiol. 2017;55(5):396-402. Published online April 29, 2017
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-017-7089-9
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Abstract
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Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a human gastric pathogen, causing various gastric diseases ranging from gastritis to gas-tric adenocarcinoma. It has been reported that combining N-acetylcysteine (NAC) with conventional antibiotic therapy increases the success rate of H. pylori eradication. We evalu-ated the effect of NAC itself on the growth and coloniza-tion of H. pylori, and development of gastritis, using in vitro liquid culture system and in vivo animal models. H. pylori growth was evaluated in broth culture containing NAC. The H. pylori load and histopathological scores of stomachs were measured in Mongolian gerbils infected with H. pylori strain 7.13, and fed with NAC-containing diet. In liquid culture, NAC inhibited H. pylori growth in a concentration-depen-dent manner. In the animal model, 3-day administration of NAC after 1 week from infection reduced the H. pylori load; 6-week administration of NAC after 1 week from infection prevented the development of gastritis and reduced H. pylori colonization. However, no reduction in the bacterial load or degree of gastritis was observed with a 6-week administ-ration of NAC following 6-week infection period. Our results indicate that NAC may exert a beneficial effect on reduction of bacterial colonization, and prevents the development of severe inflammation, in people with initial asymptomatic or mild H. pylori infection.
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- Role of N-acetylcysteine and vitamin B complex in improving outcomes of corrosive ingestion
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Antibacterial effects of N-acetylcysteine against endodontic pathogens
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Ji-Hoi Moon , Young-Suk Choi , Hyeon-Woo Lee , Jung Sun Heo , Seok Woo Chang , Jin-Yong Lee
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J. Microbiol. 2016;54(4):322-329. Published online April 1, 2016
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-016-5534-9
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Abstract
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The success of endodontic treatment depends on the eradication
of microorganisms from the root canal system and
the prevention of reinfection. The purpose of this investigation
was to evaluate the antibacterial and antibiofilm efficacy
of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an antioxidant mucolytic
agent, as an intracanal medicament against selected endodontic
pathogens. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs)
of NAC for Actinomyces naeslundii, Lactobacillus salivarius,
Streptococcus mutans, and Enterococcus faecalis were determined
using the broth microdilution method. NAC showed
antibacterial activity, with MIC values of 0.78–1.56 mg/ml.
The effect of NAC on biofilm formation of each bacterium
and a multispecies culture consisting of the four bacterial species
was assessed by crystal violet staining. NAC significantly
inhibited biofilm formation by all the monospecies and multispecies
bacteria at minimum concentrations of 0.78–3.13
mg/ml. The efficacy of NAC for biofilm disruption was evaluated
by scanning electron microscopy and ATP-bioluminescence
quantification using mature multispecies biofilms.
Preformed mature multispecies biofilms on saliva-coated hydroxyapatite
disks were disrupted within 10 min by treatment
with NAC at concentrations of 25 mg/ml or higher.
After 24 h of treatment, the viability of mature biofilms was
reduced by > 99% compared with the control. Moreover, the
biofilm disrupting activity of NAC was significantly higher
than that of saturated calcium hydroxide or 2% chlorhexidine
solution. Within the limitations of this in vitro study, we
conclude that NAC has excellent antibacterial and antibiofilm
efficacy against endodontic pathogens and may be used as an
alternative intracanal medicament in root canal therapies.
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