Enhancement of antibiotic efficacy against multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections via combination with curcumin and 1-(1-Naphthylmethyl)-Piperazine

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if the plant phenolic curcumin (CUR) and the arylpiperazine 1-(1-naphthylmethyl)-piperazine (NMP) could restore antibiotic efficacy versus MDR P. aeruginosa infection. Methods: The MICs of piperacillin, meropenem and levofloxacin in the presence or absence of CUR or NMP against a MDR strain that over-expresses the MexAB-OprM efflux-pump and the isogenic parent strain were compared. The efficacy of the same combination treatments was also tested in a Galleria mellonella in vivo infection model and larval survival and bacterial burden compared. Results: In vitro, CUR restored the activity of piperacillin, meropenem and levofloxacin versus the MDR strain of P. aeruginosa only weakly. There was no evidence in vitro of a similar effect with NMP. In vivo, treatment of G. mellonella larvae infected with the MDR strain with a combination of NMP or CUR plus levofloxacin, and piperacillin plus CUR, resulted in enhanced therapeutic benefit compared to the monotherapies. When compared with monotherapies, the enhanced efficacy of the combination treatments correlated with reduced bacterial burden. Conclusion: CUR and NMP restored the efficacy of antibiotic therapy in vivo versus MDR P. aeruginosa infection.