Development of a three-dimensional polymeric structure to evaluate the effect of antimicrobials on the interaction of Aspergillus fumigatus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa

• Grant number: 20/11486-5
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): June 01, 2021
• Effective date (End): February 28, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Biology and Physiology of Microorganisms
• Principal researcher: Kelly Ishida
• Grantee: Bruna Nakanishi Fortes
• Home Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Polymicrobial infections, such as Aspergillus fumigatus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, are frequent in individuals with cystic fibrosis and have a synergistic interaction that involves the formation of mixed biofilm, tolerance to antimicrobials, and associated with reinfections. A three-dimensional polymeric model forming a scaffold covered by lung cells can mimic the alveolar microenvironment in which these pathogens are found, important for studying host-pathogen interaction as well as treatment strategies. The presence of ²(1,3)D-glucan in the bacterial periplasm and in the extracellular matrix of its biofilm opens the possibility for a therapy with the echinocandin antifungal, ²(1,3) D-glucan fungal inhibitor, combined with an antibacterial, could increase the chances of eradicating mixed biofilm. Thus, this project aims to standardize the three-dimensional scaffolding model formed by a hydroxyethyl alginate-gelatin cryogel (HAG) with pulmonary epithelial cells and to evaluate the effect of antimicrobials alone or in combination in the polymicrobial infection of A. fumigatus and P. aeruginosa, using the three-dimensional scaffolding model. (AU)