Influence of cholesterol on uptake of bacteria-derived nanovesicle in Streptococcus pneumoniae

Abstract

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a clinically significant Gram-positive bacteria which causes a myriad of diseases. Regrettably, the reliance of antibiotics to treat the bacterial infection led to the commonality of antibiotic resistance, which renders much of conventional treatments futile. Novel drug delivery and prevention methods must be developed in bid to combat the rise of the drug resistant pneumococcus. Bacteria-derived nanovesicles (BDNs) have recently been identified as a strong contender for drug delivery and vaccine development. However, BDNs and vesicles-related studies neglects those from Gram-positive bacteria classes despite their clinical significance. To utilize BDNs as effective drug delivery vehicle, understanding towards the interaction between bacteria and BDNs must first be made. This project explores the possibility of interaction between both BDNs and the pneumococcus, as well as seek methods to enhance the interaction between them. Characterization of BDNs confirmed the successful attachment of cholesterol onto its surface. Tests done have also confirmed that the incorporation of cholesterol on BDNs surface increases its interaction with Streptococcus pneumoniae, hence drug delivery methods using BDNs can be further developed in this direction.