Investigation of Bacterial Efflux Pump Inhibitors from Edible Plant Sources and Aptamers

Multidrug resistant bacteria have become a great concern in the world of medicine. Antibiotics are not being discovered at a fast enough rate to fight this resistance, leaving many bacterial infections left unable to be treated with the current antibiotics. The efflux of drugs out of cells is one of the mechanisms contributing to this resistance. Transporter proteins called efflux pumps, located in the membranes of bacterial cells, are responsible for this antibiotic exporting activity. In drug resistant bacterial cells, efflux pumps can expel antibiotics out of the cell, making it difficult for the bacteria to receive the intended dose of the drugs. I have investigated the bacterial efflux pumps and their role in conferring multidrug resistance. I sought to identify new efflux pump inhibitors through the screening of extracts made from edible plants and through the development of synthetic nucleic acid aptamers that bind to the efflux pumps and block their activity.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stander_posters/2519/thumbnail.jp