Enhancement by pyrazolones of colistin efficacy against mcr-1-expressing E. coli: an in silico and in vitro investigation
1
Issued Date
2023-01-01
Resource Type
ISSN
0920654X
eISSN
15734951
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85165575016
Journal Title
Journal of Computer-Aided Molecular Design
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Journal of Computer-Aided Molecular Design (2023)
Suggested Citation
Hanpaibool C., Ounjai P., Yotphan S., Mulholland A.J., Spencer J., Ngamwongsatit N., Rungrotmongkol T. Enhancement by pyrazolones of colistin efficacy against mcr-1-expressing E. coli: an in silico and in vitro investigation. Journal of Computer-Aided Molecular Design (2023). doi:10.1007/s10822-023-00519-z Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/88171
Title
Enhancement by pyrazolones of colistin efficacy against mcr-1-expressing E. coli: an in silico and in vitro investigation
Author's Affiliation
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Owing to the emergence of antibiotic resistance, the polymyxin colistin has been recently revived to treat acute, multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. Positively charged colistin binds to negatively charged lipids and damages the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. However, the MCR-1 protein, encoded by the mobile colistin resistance (mcr) gene, is involved in bacterial colistin resistance by catalysing phosphoethanolamine (PEA) transfer onto lipid A, neutralising its negative charge, and thereby reducing its interaction with colistin. Our preliminary results showed that treatment with a reference pyrazolone compound significantly reduced colistin minimal inhibitory concentrations in Escherichia coli expressing mcr-1 mediated colistin resistance (Hanpaibool et al. in ACS Omega, 2023). A docking-MD combination was used in an ensemble-based docking approach to identify further pyrazolone compounds as candidate MCR-1 inhibitors. Docking simulations revealed that 13/28 of the pyrazolone compounds tested are predicted to have lower binding free energies than the reference compound. Four of these were chosen for in vitro testing, with the results demonstrating that all the compounds tested could lower colistin MICs in an E. coli strain carrying the mcr-1 gene. Docking of pyrazolones into the MCR-1 active site reveals residues that are implicated in ligand–protein interactions, particularly E246, T285, H395, H466, and H478, which are located in the MCR-1 active site and which participate in interactions with MCR-1 in ≥ 8/10 of the lowest energy complexes. This study establishes pyrazolone-induced colistin susceptibility in E. coli carrying the mcr-1 gene, providing a method for the development of novel treatments against colistin-resistant bacteria.