Poster Presentation BacPath 2024

Uncovering the potent antimicrobial activity of phytocannabinoids (#55)

Hue Dinh 1 , Amy Cain Cain 1
  1. Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, Australia

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top global public health and development threats. It is estimated that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths. This number is expected to rise over the next decades unless new antimicrobials can be developed. Phytocanabinoids are bioactive natural products found in some flowering plants, liverworts, and fungi that represent a promising avenue for exploration. Our study found that the combination of phytocannabinoids with colistin significantly reduced the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of colistin against critical bacterial pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii. Additionally, phytocannabinoids alone also have potent antifungal activity against clinically relevant fungal pathogens. Our study aims to uncover molecular mechanism underlying this antimicrobial activity.