Research progress in silver ion tolerance mechanisms of <i>Escherichia coli</i>.

Yuhuang WU; Xi ZHENG; Haoyue AN; Shuchu SHEN; Zhongbao WU; Su ZHOU; Jun WANG; Lili ZOU

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Research progress in silver ion tolerance mechanisms of Escherichia coli.

Author: Yuhuang WU ¹ ; Xi ZHENG ¹ ; Haoyue AN ¹ ; Shuchu SHEN ¹ ; Zhongbao WU ¹ ; Su ZHOU ¹ ; Jun WANG ² ; Lili ZOU ¹
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1. Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, Hubei, China.
2. Hubei Provincial Clinical Research Center for Precise Prevention and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancer in the Elderly, the Second People's Hospital of Yichang, Yichang 443000, Hubei, China 4Third-grade Pharmacological Laboratory on Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, Hubei, China.
Publication Type:English Abstract
Keywords: Escherichia coli; antibacterial strategy; drug resistance; silver ions; tolerance mechanism
MeSH: Escherichia coli/genetics*; Silver/pharmacology*; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology*; Porins/metabolism*
From: Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2025;41(4):1252-1267
CountryChina
Language:Chinese
Abstract: Due to the wide application of silver-containing dressings and silver-coated medical devices in clinical treatment; the extensive use of antibacterial agents and heavy metal agents in feed factories, Escherichia coli has formed the tolerance to silver ions. To systematically understand the known silver ion resistance mechanisms of E. coli, this article reviews the complex regulatory network and various physiological mechanisms of silver ion tolerance in E. coli, including the regulation of outer membrane porins, energy metabolism modulation, the role of efflux systems, motility regulation, and silver ion reduction. E. coli reduces the influx of silver ions by missing or mutating outer membrane porins such as OmpR, OmpC, and OmpF. It adapts to high concentrations of silver ions by altering the expression of ArcA/B and enhances the efflux capacity of silver ions under high-concentration silver stress via the endogenous Cus system and exogenous Sil system. Furthermore, the motility of bacteria is related to silver tolerance. E. coli has the ability to reduce silver ions, thereby alleviating the oxidative stress induced by silver ions. These findings provide a new perspective for understanding the formation and spread of bacterial tolerance and provide directions for the development of next-generation silver-based antimicrobials and therapies.