Antimicrobial action of XXXX -releasing compounds.

@entity1 @entity5721 @entity1223 @entity26 @entity794 @entity519 @entity526 @entity1446
@entity1223 (CO) is endogenously produced in the @entity1 body, mainly from the oxidation of @entity1446 catalyzed by @entity1446 oxygenase (HO) enzymes. The induction of HO and the consequent increase in CO production play important physiological roles in vasorelaxation and neurotransmission and in the immune system. The exogenous administration of CO gas and CO-releasing molecules (CO-RMs) has been shown to induce vascular effects and to alleviate @entity519 -reoxygenation injury of @entity1 cells. In particular, due to its anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, and antiproliferative properties, CO inhibits @entity5721 and provides potent cytoprotective effects during organ and cell transplantation. In spite of these findings regarding the physiology and biology of mammals, nothing is known about the action of CO on bacteria. In the present work, we examined the effect of CO on bacterial cell proliferation. Cell growth experiments showed that CO caused the rapid death of the two pathogenic bacteria tested, @entity526 and @entity794 , particularly when delivered through organometallic CO-RMs. Of importance is the observation that the effectiveness of the CO-RMs was greater in near-anaerobic environments, as many pathogens are anaerobic organisms and pathogen colonization occurs in environments with low @entity26 concentrations. Our results constitute the first evidence that CO can be utilized as an antimicrobial agent. We anticipate our results to be the starting point for the development of novel types of therapeutic drugs designed to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens, which are widespread and presently a major public health concern.
