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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Laccase‐Catalyzed Derivatization of Aminoglycoside Antibiotics and Glucosamine
    (Basel : MDPI, 2022) Mikolasch, Annett; Lindequist, Ulrike; Witt, Sabine; Hahn, Veronika
    The increasing demand for new and effective antibiotics requires intelligent strategies to obtain a wide range of potential candidates. Laccase‐catalyzed reactions have been successfully applied to synthesize new β‐lactam antibiotics and other antibiotics. In this work, laccases from three different origins were used to produce new aminoglycoside antibiotics. Kanamycin, tobramycin and gentamicin were coupled with the laccase substrate 2,5‐dihydroxy‐N‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)‐benzamide. The products were isolated, structurally characterized and tested in vitro for antibacterial activity against various strains of Staphylococci, including multidrug‐resistant strains. The cytotoxicity of these products was tested using FL cells. The coupling products showed comparable and, in some cases, better antibacterial activity than the parent antibiotics in the agar diffusion assay, and they were not cytotoxic. The products protected mice against infection with Staphylococcus aureus, which was lethal to the control animals. The results underline the great potential of laccases in obtaining new biologically active compounds, in this case new antibiotic candidates from the class of aminoglycosides.
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    Concept for improved handling ensures effective contactless plasma treatment of patients with kINPen® MED
    (Basel : MDPI, 2020) Hahn, Veronika; Grollmisch, Daniel; Bendt, Hannes; Woedtke, Thomas von; Nestler, Bodo; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter; Gerling, Torsten
    The nursing of patients with wounds is an essential part of medical healthcare. In this context, cold atmospheric-pressure plasma sources can be applied for skin decontamination and stimulation of wound healing. One of these plasma devices is the commercially available kINPen® MED (neoplas tools GmbH), a cold atmospheric-pressure plasma jet which is approved as a medical device, class-IIa. For the plasma treatment, a sterile disposable spacer is recommended to ensure a constant and effective distance between plasma and skin. The disadvantage of this spacer is its form and size which means that the effective axis/area is not visible for the attending doctor or qualified personnel and consequently it is a more or less intuitive treatment. In addition, the suggested perpendicular treatment is not applicable for the attending specialist due to lack of space or patient/wound positioning. A concept of a sensory unit was developed to measure the treatment distance and to visualize the effective treatment area for different angles. To determine the effective area for the plasma treatment, some exemplary methods were performed. Thus, the antimicrobial (Staphylococcus aureus DSM799/ATCC6538) efficacy, reactive oxygen species (ROS) distribution and (vacuum) ultraviolet ((V)UV) irradiation were determined depending on the treatment angle. Finally, a simplified first approach to visualize the effective treatment area at an optimal distance was designed and constructed to train attending specialists for optimal wound area coverage. © 2020 by the authors.
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    Plasma-activation of larger liquid volumes by an inductively-limited discharge for antimicrobial purposes
    (Basel : MDPI, 2019) Schmidt, Michael; Hahn, Veronika; Altrock, Beke; Gerling, Torsten; Gerber, Ioana Cristina; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter; von Woedtke, Thomas
    A new configuration of a discharge chamber and power source for the treatment of up to 1 L of liquid is presented. A leakage transformer, energizing two metal electrodes positioned above the liquid, limits the discharge current inductively by utilizing the weak magnetic coupling between the primary and secondary coils. No additional means to avoid arcing (electric short-circuiting), e.g., dielectric barriers or resistors, are needed. By using this technique, exceeding the breakdown voltage leads to the formation of transient spark discharges, producing non-thermal plasma (NTP). These discharges effected significant changes in the properties of the treated liquids (distilled water, physiological saline solution, and tap water). Considerable concentrations of nitrite and nitrate were detected after the plasma treatment. Furthermore, all tested liquids gained strong antibacterial efficacy which was shown by inactivating suspended Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Plasma-treated tap water had the strongest effect, which is shown for the first time. Additionally, the pH-value of tap water did not decrease during the plasma treatment, and its conductivity increased less than for the other tested liquids. © 2019 by the authors.
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    Laccase-catalyzed derivatization of antibiotics with sulfonamide or sulfone structures
    (Basel : MDPI, 2021) Mikolasch, Annett; Hahn, Veronika
    Trametes spec. laccase (EC 1.10.3.2.) mediates the oxidative coupling of antibiotics with sulfonamide or sulfone structures with 2,5-dihydroxybenzene derivatives to form new heterodimers and heterotrimers. These heteromolecular hybrid products are formed by nuclear amination of the p-hydroquinones with the primary amino group of the sulfonamide or sulfone antibiotics, and they inhibited in vitro the growth of Staphylococcus species, including multidrug-resistant strains.