Characterizing the antimicrobial activity of cisplatin against Gram-positive clinical strains: bridging existing gaps

Abstract

Introduction: Multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria are one of the most important current threats to public health. Therefore, serious concerns were raised about the effectiveness of traditional antibiotics. Cisplatin, a chemotherapeutic agent that is used mainly in cancer treatment, has recently attracted attention and popularity for its potential antibacterial properties. Our study aim is to evaluate the antibacterial properties of cisplatin against several common MDR and non-MDR Gram-positive strains, including Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), Coagulase-Negative Staphylococcus (CoNS), and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus (VRE).

Methodology: Cisplatin's Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was calculated through standard microdilution methods.

Results: Our findings indicated that cisplatin had a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 256 µg/mL across all tested bacterial strains, reflecting its limited antibacterial efficacy in its currently available formulation. However, although the MIC values were high, this study explored cisplatin's activity against these bacterial strains which uncovers a potential gap about cisplatin clinical effectiveness and indicates that further enhancement is required.

Conclusions: These results confirm that cisplatin antibacterial activity has not been extensively explored against these resistant strains. Cisplatin alone shows limited efficacy based on the relatively high MIC values observed. However, combination therapy with other antibiotics may improve its therapeutic potential. Additionally, novel delivery systems-nanoparticle formulations, for instance-could enhance antibacterial activity while reducing toxicity. Future investigations should evaluate these approaches in more detail.

Keywords: Cisplatin; MIC; MRSA; Multidrug-resistant bacteria; VRE.