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Photoinactivation effects of hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether on Gram-positive and -negative bacteria detected by atomic force microscopy

  • Applied Microbial and Cell Physiology
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Abstract

The photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy as a promising approach for efficiently killing pathogenic microbes is attracting increasing interest. In this study, the cytotoxic and phototoxic effects of hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME) on the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were investigated. The cell viability was assessed by colony-forming unit method, and the results indicated that there was no significant cytotoxicity but high phototoxicity in the examined concentrations. Notably, the Gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive to HMME in phototoxicity. Simultaneously, an atomic force microscope (AFM) was used to detect the changes in morphological and nanomechanical properties of bacteria before and after HMME treatment. AFM images indicate that upon photoinactivation, the bacterial surface changed from a smooth, homogeneous architecture to a heterogenous, crackled morphology. The force spectroscopy measurements reveal that the cell wall became less rigid and the Young’s modulus decreased about 50%, whereas the tip-cell-surface adhesion forces increased significantly compared to those of native cells. It was speculated that the photodynamic effects of HMME induced the changes in the chemical composition of the outer membrane and exposure of some proteins inside the envelope. AFM can be utilized as a powerful and sensitive method for studying the interaction between bacteria and drugs.

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Acknowledgment

We express our thanks to Prof. Guanqun Yang (The First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, China) and Zhihong Liang (Analytical & Testing Center, Jinan University, China) for their help and heated discussion. This work was funded by the grants from China’s Guangzhou National Science Foundation (021190, 2003Z3-D2041) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (973 program projects, 2010CB833603).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China , 510632

    Hua Jin, Xun Huang, Hongxia Zhao, Hongyan Ye, Feicheng Huang, Xiaobo Xing & Jiye Cai

  2. Institute for Advanced Study, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China , 330031

    Yong Chen

  3. Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China , 510090

    Hongxia Zhao

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  1. Hua Jin
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  2. Xun Huang
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  3. Yong Chen
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  4. Hongxia Zhao
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  5. Hongyan Ye
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  6. Feicheng Huang
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  7. Xiaobo Xing
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  8. Jiye Cai
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Correspondence to Jiye Cai.

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Jin, H., Huang, X., Chen, Y. et al. Photoinactivation effects of hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether on Gram-positive and -negative bacteria detected by atomic force microscopy. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 88, 761–770 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-010-2747-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-010-2747-4

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