Effect of thioridazine on experimental cutaneous staphylococcal infections. In Vivo 2014;28(1):33-8
Date
01/16/2014Pubmed ID
24425833Pubmed Central ID
PMC4539008Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84906931414 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 13 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: Some non-antibiotic drugs, such as the phenothiazine antipsychotic agents, may have antimicrobial activity.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We sought to determine the in vivo antimicrobial effects of the phenothiazine thioridazine in two mouse models of Staphylococcus aureus skin infection.
RESULTS: Thioridazine significantly suppressed dissemination from skin to spleen and kidney after inoculation of the skin surface. However, the drug did not affect infection parameters in the skin itself. Thioridazine did suppress the size of abscesses produced when the bacteria were injected intradermally. On the other hand, using the cutaneous abscess model we were not able to demonstrate synergistic activity between thioridazine and the β-lactam drug cefazolin against methicillin-resistant S. aureus, as previously demonstrated in vitro.
CONCLUSION: The phenothiazine drug thioridazine has in vivo antimicrobial activity against certain S. aureus skin infections, although the previously-demonstrated reversal of methicillin resistance by this agent may not be readily evident in vivo.
Author List
Hahn BL, Sohnle PGMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsAnti-Bacterial Agents
Humans
Methicillin Resistance
Mice
Staphylococcal Skin Infections
Staphylococcus aureus
Thioridazine