Honors Theses

Advisor

Matthew Lopper

Department

Chemistry

Publication Date

4-26-2020

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Abstract

The advent of antimicrobial therapy occurred over fifty years ago; however, overuse of antibiotics coupled with the stagnation of novel therapies has caused an alarming inability to treat infectious disease. Today, bacteria possess a versatile toolbox of multi-drug resistance (MDR) mechanisms which has challenged modern medicine. One of the mechanisms utilized by bacteria is the over-expression of membrane spanning proteins known as efflux pumps (EPs). The over-expression of EPs prevents antibiotics from reaching lethal concentrations within the cell. The investigation of plants, a highly unexplored natural resource, may deliver newfound compounds effective in the inhibition of EPs. An ethidium bromide (EtBr) efflux assay and growth curve analysis were performed to screen plant extracts for potential inhibitory activity against an EP system expressed in E. coli. Efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs) in conjunction with existing antibiotics may ultimately provide a refined approach of therapy against resistant pathogenic bacteria, especially in Gram-negative strains.

Permission Statement

This item is protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and may only be used for noncommercial, educational, and scholarly purposes.

Keywords

Undergraduate research

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