Eklund Daniel, Welin Amanda, Schön Thomas, Stendahl Olle, Huygen Kris, Lerm Maria
Division of Medical Microbiology, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden
Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2010 Apr;17(4):513-7. doi: 10.1128/CVI.00446-09. Epub 2010 Jan 27.
Intracellular pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis have adapted to a life inside host cells, in which they utilize host nutrients to replicate and spread. Ineffective methods for the evaluation of growth of intracellular pathogens in their true environment pose an obstacle for basic research and drug screening. Here we present the validation of a luminometry-based method for the analysis of intramacrophage growth of M. tuberculosis. The method, which is performed in a medium-throughput format, can easily be adapted for studies of other intracellular pathogens and cell types. The use of host cells in drug-screening assays dedicated to find antimicrobials effective against intracellular pathogens permits the discovery of not only novel antibiotics but also compounds with immunomodulatory and virulence-impairing activities, which may be future alternatives or complements to antibiotics.
诸如结核分枝杆菌之类的细胞内病原体已经适应了在宿主细胞内的生活，它们利用宿主营养物质进行复制和传播。在其真实环境中评估细胞内病原体生长的无效方法对基础研究和药物筛选构成了障碍。在此，我们展示了一种基于发光测定法分析结核分枝杆菌巨噬细胞内生长的方法的验证。该方法以中等通量形式进行，可轻松适用于其他细胞内病原体和细胞类型的研究。在致力于寻找对细胞内病原体有效的抗菌药物的药物筛选试验中使用宿主细胞，不仅可以发现新型抗生素，还可以发现具有免疫调节和毒力损害活性的化合物，这些化合物可能是抗生素未来的替代品或补充物。
