Abstract
Antimicrobial treatment alternatives for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are increasingly limited. MRSA strains are resistant to methicillin due to the formation of β-lactamase enzymes, as well as the acquisition of the mecA gene, which encodes the penicillin-binding protein (PBP2a) that reduces the affinity for β-lactam drugs. Previous studies have shown that the use of ampicillin-loaded nanoparticles can improve antimicrobial activity on resistant S. aureus strains. However, the biological mechanism of this effect has not yet been properly elucidated. Therefore, this short communication focused on characterizing the in silico interactions of the PBP2a membrane receptor protein from S. aureus against the monomeric units of two polymeric materials previously used in the development of different nanoparticles loaded with ampicillin. Such polymers correspond to Eudragit E-100 chloride (EuCl) and the sodium salt of poly(maleic acid-alt-octadecene) (PAM-18Na). For this, molecular coupling studies were carried out in the active site of the PBP2a protein with the monomeric units of both polymers in neutral and ionized form, as well as with ampicillin antibiotic (model β-lactam drug). The results showed that ampicillin, as well as the monomeric units of EuCl and PAM18Na, described a slight binding free energy to the PBPa2 protein. In addition, it was found that the amino acids of the active site of the PBPa2 protein have interactions of different types and intensities, suggesting, in turn, different forms of protein-substrate coupling.