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Heat-stable factors released by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in culture supernatants inhibit functional cilia of rabbit tracheal epithelium. Chloroform extraction removed heat-stable factors from stationary-phase culture supernatants. The extracts contained at least seven components separable by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Cilioinhibitory components were identified as a phenazine derivative, pyo compounds (2-alkyl-4-hydroxyquinolines), and a rhamnolipid, also known as a hemolysin. Fluorescence and absorption spectra, relative migration on TLC, staining characteristics, and gas chromatography were the basis for identification. Inhibitory concentrations of each active component were established by quantitative measures of percent motility and beat frequency. Corresponding damage to ciliary ultrastructure was examined by electron microscopy. The pyo compounds produced ciliostasis at concentrations of 50 micrograms/ml, but without obvious ultrastructural lesions. The phenazine derivative also inhibited ciliary motility and caused some membrane disruption, although at substantially greater concentrations of 400 micrograms/ml. Limited exposure of tracheal explants to the rhamnolipid resulted in ciliostasis which was associated with altered ciliary membranes. More extensive exposure to rhamnolipid was associated with removal of dynein arms from axonemes. Pyocyanin at a concentration of 0.5 mg/ml did not inhibit ciliary beating under our conditions. The data suggest that the pyo compounds are the most effective per weight ciliostatic factors released by P. aeruginosa and rhamnolipid is the most destructive of cilia ultrastructure. By interfering with normal ciliary function, these ciliostatic factors may enable P. aeruginosa to more easily colonize the respiratory tract.
Hingley et al. (Wed,) studied this question.