Combination of Cannabidiol and Bacitracin Against Resistant Bacteria

Background:
Development of antibiotic resistance has become a major problem world-wide making many conventional antibiotic useless. Therefore, we need to turn to other approaches such as use of helper compounds. Helper compounds usually possess poor antimicrobial effects themselves, but are able to potentiate antibiotics against resistant bacteria.
In our research group, we have discovered that the cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) is able to potentiate the effect of bacitracin against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other Gram-positive bacteria.
Objectives:
In this project, we aim to discover the mechanism underlying the CBD mediated potentiation of bacitracin against MRSA and other Gram-positive bacteria and using this knowledge to develop a treatment for skin infections.
Methods:
Growth experiments have shown that CBD is able to potentiate the effect of bacitracin against MRSA and other Gram-positive bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes and Enterococcus faecalis. CBD has shown to cause disruption of the membrane potential of MRSA and when combined with bacitracin, transmission electron microscopy pictures revealed an effect on the membrane visualized by multiple septum formation and membrane irregularities which may affect the divisome. Furthermore, RNA-seq data have shown several transporters and efflux pumps to be differential regulated upon treatment.
Results:
Our data show that CBD can potentiate the effect of bacitracin against Gram-positive bacteria. The mechanism underlying the potentiation is still unknown, but our results points towards the membrane to be an important area, however, the exact mechanism will be of focus for our future research.