Evidence mapPaperPMID 42149378Full record

ArticleMolecular biology reports2026

Modulation of efflux pump gene expression in Enterococcus faecium by tungsten nanoparticles and multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

Mahsa Khosroparviz, Akram Sadat Tabatabaee Bafroee, Kumars Amini

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular biology reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Mahsa KhosroparvizDepartment of Biology, ET.C, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
Akram Sadat Tabatabaee BafroeeDepartment of Biology, ET.C, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. akram_tabatabaee@yahoo.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0309-2206
Kumars AminiDepartment of Microbiology, Sav.C., Islamic Azad University, Saveh, Iran.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEnterococcus faecium (E. faecium) is an opportunistic pathogen frequently associated with urinary tract infections (UTIs). Its increasing multidrug resistance (MDR) is largely mediated by efflux pump systems that reduce intracellular antibiotic accumulation.

objectiveThis study aimed to investigate antimicrobial resistance patterns of clinical E. faecium isolates and to evaluate the antibacterial and efflux pump-modulating effects of tungsten nanoparticles (WNPs) and functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs).

methodsFifty-eight E. faecium isolates from UTI patients were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing and molecular detection of the efflux genes efrA, efrB, and emeA. WNPs and MWCNTs were synthesized, physicochemically characterized, and evaluated for antibacterial activity using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to assess changes in efflux pump gene expression following nanoparticle exposure.

resultsHigh resistance rates were observed for erythromycin (86.2%), tetracycline (81.0%), fluoroquinolones, and vancomycin (48.3%), with approximately 85% of isolates classified as MDR. Efflux pump genes were detected in 72-86% of isolates. WNPs and MWCNTs exhibited MIC values of 750 µg/mL and 375 µg/mL, respectively. Treatment with sub-inhibitory concentrations of these nanoparticles resulted in significant downregulation (1.8- to 2-fold) of efrA, efrB, and emeA expression, indicating suppression of efflux-mediated resistance mechanisms.

conclusionsTungsten nanoparticles and functionalized MWCNTs demonstrate notable antibacterial activity against MDR E. faecium and effectively modulate efflux pump gene expression. These findings support their potential use as adjunctive agents to enhance antimicrobial efficacy against resistant E. faecium infections, warranting further optimization and in vivo validation.

Indexed as

Enterococcus faeciumMembrane Transport ProteinsNanotubes, CarbonTungstenAnti-Bacterial AgentsBacterial ProteinsDrug Resistance, Multiple, BacterialGene Expression Regulation, BacterialHumansMetal NanoparticlesMicrobial Sensitivity TestsUrinary Tract InfectionsAnti-Bacterial AgentsBacterial ProteinsMembrane Transport ProteinsNanotubes, CarbonTungstenAntimicrobial activityEfflux pumpEnterococcus faeciumMultidrug resistance (MDR)Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)Tungsten nanoparticles (WNPs)Urinary tract infections (UTIs)

Identifiers

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.