Summary: | 碩士 === 國立成功大學 === 醫學檢驗生物技術學系 === 94 === Acinetobacter baumannii is a gram negative coco-bacillus, which is ubiquitous present in fresh water and soil. A. baumannii is also a well recognized pathogen causing nosocomial pneumonia, predominantly in patients with endotracheal intubation, prolonged mechanical ventilation, and underlying lung diseases. Because almost all commercially available antibiotics are ineffective against A. baumannii, it is necessary to develop a new strategy to treat infections caused by A. baumannii. Lactoferrin (LF) is an iron-binding glycoprotein with a molecular mass of 80 KDa. Lactoferrin is present in milk, saliva, mucous secretion, and other biological fluids of mammals. LF has both anti microbial and immune modulating/enhancing ac-tivities. Sesamol (SM) is a main component of sesame oil (SO) and it has po-tent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. In this study, the effects of LF, SO, and SM on a mouse infection model of A. baumannii were investigated. It was found that treatment with LF, SO, and SM could protect mice from A. baumannii-induced lethality. The results revealed higher survival rate, lower liver and kidney damage and decreased serum TNF-a production in mice treated with LF, SO, or SM than the control mice. Furthermore, the growth of A. baumannii was inhibited in the presence of LF in vitro, but in vitro inhibition is not seen in the presence of SM. Therefore, LF, SO, and SM may have protective effects against A. baumannii infection through different mechanisms.
|