Yixin Zhang: School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Wei Wei: The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Huamei Wen: School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Zhongle Cheng: The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Zhongwen Mi: School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Jing Zhang: Stomatological Hospital and College, Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases Research of Anhui Province, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China. ORCID
Xiaolong Liu: University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Xinjiong Fan: School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China. ORCID
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that forms biofilms during infection, resulting in recalcitrance to antibiotic treatment. Biofilm inhibition is a promising research direction for the treatment of biofilm-associated infections. Here, a combined-enzyme biofilm-targeted strategy was put forward for the first time to simultaneously prevent biofilm formation and break down preformed biofilms. The -acylhomoserine lactonase AidH was used as a quorum-sensing inhibitor and was modified to enhance the inhibitory effect on biofilms by rational design. Mutant AidH exerted maximum activity at the human body temperature and pH and could reduce the expression of virulence factors as well as biofilm-related genes of P. aeruginosa. Subsequently, the P. aeruginosa self-produced glycosyl hydrolase PslG joined with AidH to disrupt biofilms. Interestingly, under the combined-enzyme intervention for P. aeruginosa wild-type strain PAO1 and clinical strains, no biofilm was observed on the bottom of NEST glass-bottom cell culture dishes. The combination strategy also helped multidrug-resistant clinical strains change from resistant to intermediate or sensitive to many antibiotics commonly used in clinical practice. These results demonstrated that the combined-enzyme approach for inhibiting biofilms is a potential clinical treatment for P. aeruginosa infection.
