Skip to main content

Alternative Strategies to Target Quorum Sensing (QS): Combination of QS Inhibitors with Antibiotics and Nanotechnological Approaches

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Quorum Sensing vs Quorum Quenching: A Battle with No End in Sight

Abstract

Several antibiotics possess, beyond their conventional mechanism of antibacterial action, secondary functions which inhibit bacterial pathogenesis. One such secondary action is that of inhibiting quorum sensing in bacteria. Furthermore, there are certain drugs and natural molecules which do not possess antibacterial action but possess functions which perturb quorum sensing in bacteria. The first part of this chapter deals with the quorum-quenching action of some well-known drugs and their synergy with quorum-sensing inhibitors (QSIs). The latter part of this chapter touches upon the promising avenues being laid down by nanotechnology toward curbing quorum sensing. As no quorum-sensing inhibitors have progressed to phase II clinical trials, we believe the alternative strategies discussed in this chapter may pave the way for future directions in the field.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Barraud N, Hassett DJ, Hwang SH, Rice SA, Kjelleberg S, Webb JS (2006) Involvement of nitric oxide in biofilm dispersal of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Bacteriol 188(21):7344–7353

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Brackman G, Cos P, Maes L, Nelis HJ, Coenye T (2011) Quorum sensing inhibitors increase the susceptibility of bacterial biofilms to antibiotics in vitro and in vivo. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 55(6):2655–2661

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Davies DG, Parsek MR, Pearson JP, Iglewski BH, Costerton JW, Greenberg EP (1998) The involvement of cell-to-cell signals in the development of a bacterial biofilm. Science 280(5361):295–298

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • de Kievit TR (2009) Quorum sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. Environ Microbiol 11(2):279–288

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Defoirdt T, Boon N, Bossier P (2010) Can bacteria evolve resistance to quorum sensing disruption? PLoS Pathog 6(7):e1000989

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Defoirdt T, Pande GSJ, Baruah K, Bossier P (2013) The apparent quorum-sensing inhibitory activity of Pyrogallol is a side effect of peroxide production. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 57(6):2870

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Delden C, Köhler T, Brunner-Ferber F, François B, Carlet J, Pechère J-C (2012) Azithromycin to prevent Pseudomonas aeruginosa ventilator-associated pneumonia by inhibition of quorum sensing: a randomized controlled trial. Intensive Care Med 38(7):1118–1125

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Donelli G, Francolini I, Romoli D, Guaglianone E, Piozzi A, Ragunath C, Kaplan JB (2007) Synergistic activity of dispersin B and cefamandole nafate in inhibition of staphylococcal biofilm growth on polyurethanes. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 51(8):2733–2740

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Estrela AB, Abraham W-R (2010) Combining biofilm-controlling compounds and antibiotics as a promising new way to control biofilm infections. Pharmaceuticals 3(5):1374–1393

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandes R, Bentley WE (2009) AI-2 biosynthesis module in a magnetic nanofactory alters bacterial response via localized synthesis and delivery. Biotechnol Bioeng 102(2):390–399

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandes R, Tsao CY, Hashimoto Y, Wang L, Wood TK, Payne GF, Bentley WE (2007) Magnetic nanofactories: localized synthesis and delivery of quorum-sensing signaling molecule autoinducer-2 to bacterial cell surfaces. Metab Eng 9(2):228–239

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandes R, Roy V, Wu HC, Bentley WE (2010) Engineered biological nanofactories trigger quorum sensing response in targeted bacteria. Nat Nanotechnol 5(3):213–217

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hentzer M, Wu H, Andersen JB, Riedel K, Rasmussen TB, Bagge N, Kumar N, Schembri MA, Song Z, Kristoffersen P, Manefield M, Costerton JW, Molin S, Eberl L, Steinberg P, Kjelleberg S, Hoiby N, Givskov M (2003) Attenuation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence by quorum sensing inhibitors. Embo J 22(15):3803–3815

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Huber B, Eberl L, Feucht W, Polster J (2003) Influence of polyphenols on bacterial biofilm formation and quorum-sensing. Z Naturforsch C 58(11–12):879–884

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Imperi F, Massai F, Ramachandran Pillai C, Longo F, Zennaro E, Rampioni G, Visca P, Leoni L (2013) New life for an old drug: the anthelmintic drug niclosamide inhibits Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum sensing. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 57(2):996–1005

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kalia VC (2013) Quorum sensing inhibitors: an overview. Biotechnol Adv 31(2):224–245

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kiran S, Sharma P, Harjai K, Capalash N (2011) Enzymatic quorum quenching increases antibiotic susceptibility of multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Iran J Microbiol 3(1):1–12

    PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kutty SK, Barraud N, Pham A, Iskander G, Rice SA, Black DS, Kumar N (2013) Design, synthesis, and evaluation of fimbrolide-nitric oxide donor hybrids as antimicrobial agents. J Med Chem 56(23):9517–9529

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ma L, Liu X, Liang H, Che Y, Chen C, Dai H, Yu K, Liu M, Yang CH, Song F, Wang Y, Zhang L (2012) Effects of 14-alpha-lipoyl andrographolide on quorum sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 56(12):6088–6094

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • McKenna M (2013) Antibiotic resistance: the last resort. Nature 499(7459):394–396

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miller MB, Bassler BL (2001) Quorum sensing in bacteria. Annu Rev Microbiol 55:165–199

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ni N, Choudhary G, Li M, Wang B (2008) Pyrogallol and its analogs can antagonize bacterial quorum sensing in Vibrio harveyi. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 18(5):1567–1572

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rasmussen TB, Givskov M (2006) Quorum-sensing inhibitors as anti-pathogenic drugs. Int J Med Microbiol 296(2–3):149–161

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rasmussen TB, Bjarnsholt T, Skindersoe ME, Hentzer M, Kristoffersen P, Kote M, Nielsen J, Eberl L, Givskov M (2005) Screening for quorum-sensing inhibitors (QSI) by use of a novel genetic system, the QSI selector. J Bacteriol 187(5):1799–1814

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers SA, Huigens RW 3rd, Melander C (2009) A 2-aminobenzimidazole that inhibits and disperses gram-positive biofilms through a zinc-dependent mechanism. J Am Chem Soc 131(29):9868–9869

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers SA, Huigens RW 3rd, Cavanagh J, Melander C (2010) Synergistic effects between conventional antibiotics and 2-aminoimidazole-derived antibiofilm agents. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 54(5):2112–2118

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Romero D, Traxler MF, Lopez D, Kolter R (2011) Antibiotics as signal molecules. Chem Rev 111(9):5492–5505

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Roy V, Meyer MT, Smith JA, Gamby S, Sintim HO, Ghodssi R, Bentley WE (2013) AI-2 analogs and antibiotics: a synergistic approach to reduce bacterial biofilms. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 97(6):2627–2638

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shih PC, Huang CT (2002) Effects of quorum-sensing deficiency on Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance. J Antimicrob Chemother 49(2):309–314

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Skindersoe ME, Alhede M, Phipps R, Yang L, Jensen PO, Rasmussen TB, Bjarnsholt T, Tolker-Nielsen T, Hoiby N, Givskov M (2008) Effects of antibiotics on quorum sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 52(10):3648–3663

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Straight PD, Kolter R (2009) Interspecies chemical communication in bacterial development. Annu Rev Microbiol 63:99–118

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tay SB, Yew WS (2013) Development of quorum-based anti-virulence therapeutics targeting Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. Int J Mol Sci 14(8):16570–16599

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Worthington RJ, Melander C (2013) Combination approaches to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria. Trends Biotechnol 31(3):177–184

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Wright GD (2010) Q&A: antibiotic resistance: where does it come from and what can we do about it? BMC Biol 8:123

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Zeng Z, Qian L, Cao L, Tan H, Huang Y, Xue X, Shen Y, Zhou S (2008) Virtual screening for novel quorum sensing inhibitors to eradicate biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 79(1):119–126

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zeng X, Liu X, Bian J, Pei G, Dai H, Polyak SW, Song F, Ma L, Wang Y, Zhang L (2011) Synergistic effect of 14-alpha-lipoyl andrographolide and various antibiotics on the formation of biofilms and production of exopolysaccharide and pyocyanin by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 55(6):3015–3017

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jayanta Haldar .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer India

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Uppu, D.S.S.M., Ghosh, C., Haldar, J. (2015). Alternative Strategies to Target Quorum Sensing (QS): Combination of QS Inhibitors with Antibiotics and Nanotechnological Approaches. In: Kalia, V. (eds) Quorum Sensing vs Quorum Quenching: A Battle with No End in Sight. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-1982-8_27

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics