Optimization of Antibiotic and Antimycotic Compositions for the Eradication of Microorganisms from Cell Cultures.
5 affiliations
- 1Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117997 Russia.
- 2State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071 China.
- 3N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, 115522 Russia.
- 4Endocrinology Research Center, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, 117036 Russia.
- 5Faculty of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia.
Abstract
Cell cultures underlie the vast majority of in vitro research. Despite strict sterility requirements and the availability of high-tech equipment to prevent contamination, laboratory practice remains associated with a significant risk of contamination of mammalian cell cultures with bacterial and fungal agents. According to the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 15-35% of cell lines are contaminated with mycoplasma, posing a high risk of cross-contamination and leading to significant distortions of the experimental data obtained using such cultures. Furthermore, microbial contamination is a major risk factor when working with cell cultures isolated from patient surgical biospecimens. Despite the availability of ready-made solutions for eradicating microorganisms and preventing cell culture contamination, the problem of antibiotic resistance is particularly relevant for such contamination, and commercially available agents are often ineffective. In this study, combinations of antimicrobial agents were selected to address two of the most common practical challenges in cell culture: (i) complete elimination of mycoplasma infection and (ii) preventing contamination of primary cell cultures with bacteria and fungi that are components of the patient microbiome. A combination of tylosin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, and chloramphenicol was shown to completely eradicate mycoplasma from infected cell cultures. A combination of levofloxacin, polymyxin B, vancomycin, meropenem, and the antifungals micafungin and voriconazole completely eliminated the risk of microbial contamination during primary culture isolation, including from complex specimens such as surgical resections from colorectal cancer patients. The selected compositions successfully combine low cytotoxicity with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, allowing for their effective use in laboratory practice. Nonetheless, the principle of minimizing the use of antimicrobial agents should be strictly adhered to in order to control the spread of antibiotic resistance.
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BibTeX
@article{prokopenko2026optimization,
title = {{Optimization of Antibiotic and Antimycotic Compositions for the Eradication of Microorganisms from Cell Cultures.}},
author = {Y A Prokopenko and E A Faizullina and O V Serova and S V Protsenko and Yu A Mokrushina and N Gong and H Zheng and Yu B Kuzmin and P V Tsarapaev and D M Malabuiok and Y R Vereveyko and I V Smirnov and N E Kushlinskii and H Zhang and A G Gabibov and S S Terekhov},
journal = {Acta naturae},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.32607/actanaturae.27907},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42960341},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Optimization of Antibiotic and Antimycotic Compositions for the Eradication of Microorganisms from Cell Cultures.
AU - Y A Prokopenko
AU - E A Faizullina
AU - O V Serova
AU - S V Protsenko
AU - Yu A Mokrushina
AU - N Gong
AU - H Zheng
AU - Yu B Kuzmin
AU - P V Tsarapaev
AU - D M Malabuiok
AU - Y R Vereveyko
AU - I V Smirnov
AU - N E Kushlinskii
AU - H Zhang
AU - A G Gabibov
AU - S S Terekhov
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Acta naturae
DO - 10.32607/actanaturae.27907
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42960341
AB - Cell cultures underlie the vast majority of in vitro research. Despite strict sterility requirements and the availability of high-tech equipment to prevent contamination, laboratory practice remains associated with a significant risk of contamination of mammalian cell cultures with bacterial and fungal agents. According to the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 15-35% of cell lines are contaminated with mycoplasma, posing a high risk of cross-contamination and leading to significant distortions of the experimental data obtained using such cultures. Furthermore, microbial contamination is a major risk factor when working with cell cultures isolated from patient surgical biospecimens. Despite the availability of ready-made solutions for eradicating microorganisms and preventing cell culture contamination, the problem of antibiotic resistance is particularly relevant for such contamination, and commercially available agents are often ineffective. In this study, combinations of antimicrobial agents were selected to address two of the most common practical challenges in cell culture: (i) complete elimination of mycoplasma infection and (ii) preventing contamination of primary cell cultures with bacteria and fungi that are components of the patient microbiome. A combination of tylosin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, and chloramphenicol was shown to completely eradicate mycoplasma from infected cell cultures. A combination of levofloxacin, polymyxin B, vancomycin, meropenem, and the antifungals micafungin and voriconazole completely eliminated the risk of microbial contamination during primary culture isolation, including from complex specimens such as surgical resections from colorectal cancer patients. The selected compositions successfully combine low cytotoxicity with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, allowing for their effective use in laboratory practice. Nonetheless, the principle of minimizing the use of antimicrobial agents should be strictly adhered to in order to control the spread of antibiotic resistance.
SN - 2075-8251
ER -