Antimicrobial Properties of Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Therapeutic Potential for Cystic Fibrosis Infection, and Treatment

Figure 5

Antibiotic enhancing activity. To determine whether the antibiotic enhancing effects of the bone marrow derived hMSCs were antibiotic specific, we tested the ability of the hMSCs to enhance the impact of other antibiotics which are often used to treat CF: ceftazadine (100 μg/mL) and tobramycin (100 μg/mL). (a) Ceftazadine and tobramycin decreased Pseudomonas aeruginosa CFUs (, ) which were enhanced by the addition of hMSCs derived supernatants ( for ceftazadine and for tobramycin). (b) When each experiment is used as its own control for Pseudomonas aeruginosa growth (100%), the MSCs and the antibiotics had statistically significant effect on Pseudomonas growth (100 μg/mL, ).

(a) hMSC supernatants enhance antibiotic effectiveness

(b) Activity remaining posttreatment with hMSCs ± antibiotics