MECHANISTIC ENHANCEMENT OF BACTERICIDAL EFFECTS ON MYCOBACTERIUM ABSCESSUS BY NANOSPONGE DELIVERY OF ANTIMICROBIALS

The increasing prevalence of bacterial infections has made it crucial to discover novel methods of treatment, especially as resistance to conventional antibiotics also trend to increase. Mycobacterium abscessus is a prevalent pathogen that is intrinsically drug resistant, making it difficult to treat. The use of phytochemicals as an alternative treatment has been explored, but poor solubility in aqueous environments proves it difficult to deliver to mycobacterial biofilms. However, aromatic compounds also prove to be able to induce stress on the membrane, potentially leading to cell death. As well, local hypoxic environments created during infection make it difficult for antibiotics to efficiently reach drug targets. In this study, I investigated how nanosponge-emulsified phytochemicals induce stress and kill M. smegmatis and M. absceuss biofilm cells more efficiently than phytochemicals alone, and that the teamwork of these phytochemicals and antibiotics are more bactericidal in hypoxic conditions. These findings of this study contribute to the development of new strategies for combating bacterial infections, and demonstrate the mechanisms of the nanosponge-emulsion technology utilized.