Molecular Nanomachines Disrupt Bacterial Cell Wall Increasing Sensitivity of Extensively Drug Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae to Meropenem

Multidrug-resistance in pathogenic bacteria is an increasing problem in patient care and public health. Molecular nanomachines (MNM) have the ability to open cell membranes using nanomechanical action. We hypothesized that MNM could be used as antibacterial agents by drilling into bacterial cell walls and increasing susceptibility of drug resistant bacteria to recently ineffective antibiotics. We exposed extensively drug resistant K. pneumoniae to light-activated MNM and found that MNM increase susceptibility to meropenem. MNM with meropenem can effectively kill K. pneumoniae that are considered meropenem resistant. We examined the mechanisms of MNM action using permeability assays and transmission electron microscopy, finding that MNM disrupt the cell wall of extensively drug resistant K. pneumoniae, exposing the bacteria to meropenem. These observations suggest that MNM could be used to make conventional antibiotics more efficacious against multidrug-resistant pathogens.