Efflux pumps: gatekeepers of antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus biofilms
Authors:Shweta Sinha1, Shifu Aggarwal2,3 and Durg Vijai Singh1
doi: 10.15698/mic2024.11.839
Volume 11, pp. 368 to 377, published 11/11/2024.
1 Department of Biotechnology, School of Earth, Biological and Environmental Sciences, Central University of South Bihar, 824236, Gaya, India. 2 Department of Infectious Disease Biology, Institute of Life Sciences,, 751023, Bhubaneswar, India. 3 Current Address: Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts USA.
Keywords:
S aureus, antibiotic resistance, biofilm, efflux pumps, efflux pump inhibitors.
Corresponding Author(s):
Conflict of interest statement:
Authors declare that they have read the contents of the paper and do not have any competing interests.
Please cite this article as:
Shweta Sinha, Shifu Aggarwal, Durg Vijai Singh (2024). Efflux pumps: gatekeepers of antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus biofilms. Microbial Cell 11: 368-377. doi: 10.15698/mic2024.11.839
© 2024 Sinha et al. This is an open-access article released under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which allows the unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are acknowledged.
Abstract:
Staphylococcus aureus, a versatile human pathogen, poses a significant challenge in healthcare settings due to its ability to develop antibiotic resistance and form robust biofilms. Understanding the intricate mechanisms underlying the antibiotic resistance is crucial for effective infection treatment and control. This comprehensive review delves into the multifaceted roles of efflux pumps in S. aureus, with a focus on their contribution to antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation. Efflux pumps, integral components of the bacterial cell membrane, are responsible for expelling a wide range of toxic substances, including antibiotics, from bacterial cells. By actively extruding antibiotics, these pumps reduce intracellular drug concentrations, rendering antibiotics less effective. Moreover, efflux pumps have emerged as significant contributors to both antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation in S. aureus. Biofilms, structured communities of bacterial cells embedded in a protective matrix, enable S. aureus to adhere to surfaces, evade host immune responses, and resist antibiotic therapy. Efflux pumps play a pivotal role in the development and maintenance of S. aureus biofilms. However, the interplay between efflux pumps, antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation remains unexplored in S. aureus. This review aims to elucidate the complex relationship between efflux pumps, antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation in S. aureus with the aim to aid in the development of potential therapeutic targets for combating S. aureus infections, especially those associated with biofilms. The insights provided herein may contribute to the advancement of novel strategies to overcome antibiotic resistance and disrupt biofilm formation in this clinically significant pathogen.