Breaking antibiotic resistance: Porphyrin-driven photoinactivation and priming effect on mastitis-related MDR bacteria

Abstract

Bovine mastitis is a major infectious disease in dairy herds worldwide, with increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens affecting the efficacy of conventional antibiotic therapies. In this study, we explore antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (PDI) as an innovative and sustainable strategy for controlling mastitis-associated bacteria. The photoinactivation potential was evaluated for four photosensitizers (PS) – palladium(II)/diphosphine-coordinated meso-tetrapyridyl porphyrins – Porf@DPPE, Porf@DPPP, Porf@DPPB, and Porf@DPPF - against six MDR bacterial strains isolated from bovine mastitis cases. Porf@DPPE, Porf@DPPP, and Porf@DPPB showed high triplet (Φ_T > 0.72) and singlet oxygen (Φ_Δ > 0.62) quantum yields, while Porf@DPPF, despite lower values (Φ_T = 0.46; Φ_Δ = 0.42), exhibited higher lipophilicity. All compounds induced significant photoinactivation, with Porf@DPPE achieving the lowest effective concentration (6.25 μM) and the broadest antimicrobial spectrum. Gram-negative isolates, such as Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, exhibited reduced susceptibility, requiring higher PS concentrations. DNA integrity assays indicated a potential PS mechanism of action on pathogens. Furthermore, combined treatment with Porf@DPPE or Porf@DPPF and sulfonamides restored antibiotic susceptibility in MDR E. coli, highlighting a synergistic interaction. These findings underscore the therapeutic potential of metalloporphyrin-based photosensitizers for mastitis control and support the integration of PDI with conventional antibiotics as a feasible approach to overcome multidrug-resistant bacteria in veterinary settings.