J'étudie la formation du système vasculaire des feuilles des plantes à l'aide de modèles mathématiques. L'hypothèse de canalisation d'une phytohormone, l'auxin, stipule que l'auto activation de son transport entre les cellules crée des chemins préférentiels qui se différencieront plus tard en système vasculaire. J'entreprends une analyse numérique de modèles de canalisation sur une grande matrice et parviens à créer des motifs branchés dans lesquels circule l'auxin. Une analyse de stabilité d'un modèle simplifié nous éclaire sur les raisons de la formation de ces motifs et l'impossibilité de créer un réseau réticulé. La majorité des plantes ayant un système vasculaire réticulé, je modifie le modèle de façon à obtenir ce type de réseau. En ajoutant une variable biologiquement plausible je parviens à créer un réseau réticulé dans lequel l'auxin circule uniformément. Enfin, je discute des relations entre la formation du système vasculaire et de la spirale de phyllotaxie.

<p>This thesis examines the transport of exogenous molecules across the blood-brain barrier (BBB), focusing on active efflux, using positron emission tomography (PET), computer simulation and modelling. P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibition was studied using [¹¹C]verapamil and [¹¹C]hydroxyurea was investigated as a new marker for active efflux transport. Simulations were carried out to explore the importance of the efflux transporter location in the BBB. Brain concentrations of [¹¹C]verapamil, [¹¹C]GR205171 and [¹⁸F]altanserin were compared in various laboratory animal species and in humans.</p><p>A central aspect of the studies has been the novel combination of dynamic PET imaging of the brain pharmacokinetics of a labelled drug, administered through an exponential infusion scheme allowing time-resolved consequence analysis of P-gp inhibition, and mathematical modelling of the obtained data. The methods are applicable to drugs under development and can be used not only in rodents but also in higher species, potentially even in humans, to investigate the effects of P-gp or other transporters on drug uptake in the brain.</p><p>The inhibition of P-gp by cyclosporin A (CsA) and the subsequent change in brain concentrations of [¹¹C]verapamil occurred rapidly in the sense that [¹¹C]verapamil uptake increased rapidly after CsA administration but also in the sense that the increased uptake was rapidly reversible. The P-gp inhibition was best described by an inhibitory indirect effect model in which CsA decreased the transport of [¹¹C]verapamil out of the brain. The model indicated that approximately 90% of the transport of [¹¹C]verapamil was P-gp-mediated. The low brain concentrations of [¹¹C]hydroxyurea appeared to be a result of slow transport across the BBB rather than active efflux. This exemplifies why the extent and the rate of brain uptake should be approached as two separate phenomena. The brain-to-plasma concentration ratios for the three studied radiotracers differed about 10-fold be-tween species, with lower concentrations in rodents than in humans, monkeys and pigs. The increase in brain concentrations after P-gp inhibition was somewhat greater in rats than in the other species. </p><p>The findings demonstrate a need to include the dynamics of efflux inhibition in the experimental design and stress the importance of the choice of species in preclinical studies of new drug candidates. </p>

This thesis examines the transport of exogenous molecules across the blood-brain barrier (BBB), focusing on active efflux, using positron emission tomography (PET), computer simulation and modelling. P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibition was studied using [11C]verapamil and [11C]hydroxyurea was investigated as a new marker for active efflux transport. Simulations were carried out to explore the importance of the efflux transporter location in the BBB. Brain concentrations of [11C]verapamil, [11C]GR205171 and [18F]altanserin were compared in various laboratory animal species and in humans. A central aspect of the studies has been the novel combination of dynamic PET imaging of the brain pharmacokinetics of a labelled drug, administered through an exponential infusion scheme allowing time-resolved consequence analysis of P-gp inhibition, and mathematical modelling of the obtained data. The methods are applicable to drugs under development and can be used not only in rodents but also in higher species, potentially even in humans, to investigate the effects of P-gp or other transporters on drug uptake in the brain. The inhibition of P-gp by cyclosporin A (CsA) and the subsequent change in brain concentrations of [11C]verapamil occurred rapidly in the sense that [11C]verapamil uptake increased rapidly after CsA administration but also in the sense that the increased uptake was rapidly reversible. The P-gp inhibition was best described by an inhibitory indirect effect model in which CsA decreased the transport of [11C]verapamil out of the brain. The model indicated that approximately 90% of the transport of [11C]verapamil was P-gp-mediated. The low brain concentrations of [11C]hydroxyurea appeared to be a result of slow transport across the BBB rather than active efflux. This exemplifies why the extent and the rate of brain uptake should be approached as two separate phenomena. The brain-to-plasma concentration ratios for the three studied radiotracers differed about 10-fold be-tween species, with lower concentrations in rodents than in humans, monkeys and pigs. The increase in brain concentrations after P-gp inhibition was somewhat greater in rats than in the other species. The findings demonstrate a need to include the dynamics of efflux inhibition in the experimental design and stress the importance of the choice of species in preclinical studies of new drug candidates.

As one of the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, bacteria use several families of membrane-embedded α-helical transporters to remove cytotoxic molecules from the cell. The small multidrug resistance protein family (SMR) is one such group of drug transporters that because of their relative small size [ca. 110 residues with four transmembrane (TM) helices] must form at the minimum dimers to efflux drugs. We have used the SMR homologue Hsmr from Halobacterium salinarum to investigate the oligomerization properties of the protein family at TM helix 4. We produced point mutations along the length of the TM4 helix in the full length Hsmr protein and assayed their dimerization and functional properties via SDS-PAGE and bacterial cell growth assays. We found that Hsmr forms functionally dependent dimers via an evolutionarily conserved 90GLxLIxxGV98 small residue heptad repeat. Upon investigation of the large hydrophobic residues in this motif by substituting each large residue to Ile, Leu, Met, Phe, and Val, we determined that Hsmr efflux function relies on an optimal level of dimerization. While some substitutions led to either decreased or increased dimer and substrate-binding strength, several Ile94 and Val98 mutants were equal to wild type dimerization levels but were nonfunctional, leading to the hypothesis of a mechanistic role at TM4 in addition to the locus of dimerization. The functionally sensitive TM4 dimer represents a potential target for SMR inhibition using a synthetic TM4 peptide mimetic. Using exponential decay measurements from a real-time cellular efflux assay, we observed the efflux decay constant was decreased by up to ~60% after treatment with the TM4 peptide inhibitor compared to control peptide treatments. Our results suggest that this approach could conceivably be used to design hydrophobic peptides for disruption of key TM-TM interactions of membrane proteins, and represent a valuable route to the discovery of new therapeutics.

Implementation and analysis of mathematical models can serve as a powerful tool in understanding how intracellular processes in bacteria affect the bacterial phenotype. In this thesis I have implemented and analysed models of a number of different parts of the bacterium E. coli in order to understand these types of connections. I have also developed new tools for analysis of stochastic reaction-diffusion models. Resistance mutations in the E. coli ribosomes make the bacteria less susceptible to treatment with the antibiotic drug erythromycin compared to bacteria carrying wildtype ribosomes. The effect is dependent on efficient drug efflux pumps. In the absence of pumps for erythromycin, there is no difference in growth between wildtype and drug target resistant bacteria. I present a model explaining this unexpected phenotype, and also give the conditions for its occurrence. Stochastic fluctuations in gene expression in bacteria, such as E. coli, result in stochastic fluctuations in biosynthesis pathways. I have characterised the effect of stochastic fluctuations in the parallel biosynthesis pathways of amino acids. I show how the average protein synthesis rate decreases with an increasing number of fluctuating amino acid production pathways. I further show how the cell can remedy this problem by using sensitive feedback control of transcription, and by optimising its expression levels of amino acid biosynthetic enzymes. The pole-to-pole oscillations of the Min-proteins in E. coli are required for accurate mid-cell division. The phenotype of the Min-oscillations is altered in three different mutants: filamentous cells, round cells and cells with changed membrane lipid composition. I have shown that the wildtype and mutant phenotypes can be explained using a stochastic reaction-diffusion model. In E. coli, the transcription elongation rate on the ribosmal RNA operon increases with increasing transcription initiation rate. In addition, the polymerase density varies along the ribosomal RNA operons. I present a DNA sequence dependent model that explains the transcription elongation rate speed-up, and also the density variation along the ribosomal operons. Both phenomena are explained by the RNA polymerase backtracking on the DNA. / Felaktigt tryckt som Digital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Science and Technology 715

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, ABCA1, plays a pivotal role in reverse cholesterol transport, which is the elimination of excess sterols from peripheral cells and their transport to the liver for elimination. Early studies failed to detect significant ATPase activity, prompting the suggestion that ABCA1 was an ATP-regulated receptor, rather than an active transporter. We have provided evidence that ABCA1 can bind ATP and trap its hydrolysis product, ADP, in the presence of either ortho-vanadate or beryllium fluoride and Mg2+ or Mn2+. We have also shown that both nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs) trap nucleotide comparably, suggesting that ABCA1 is a functional ATPase. In addition, we have shown that ABCA1 can directly transport 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-OHC) in an ATP-dependent manner using a membrane vesicle uptake assay, and can do so when the physiological substrate acceptor apoA-I is replaced with BSA as a non-specific binding protein. Although more than 50 naturally occurring missense mutations and polymorphisms in ABCA1 have been identified in individuals with HDL-C levels within the lowest 5th percentile of the general population, the extent to which many of these mutations affect ABCA1 function is not known and cannot be predicted. Naturally occurring extracellular loop (ECL) mutations W590S and C1477R have both been shown to effectively eliminate the ability to mediate lipid efflux, despite the fact that the W590S mutant protein retains the ability to bind apoA-I. We show that neither mutant can transport nor efflux 25-OHC, whether in the presence of apoA-I or BSA, despite apparently full retention of the ability to bind and trap nucleotide. This suggests that these two ECL mutations inhibit transport by a mechanism that is independent of their effect on apoA-I binding. By introduction of naturally occurring mutations in the NBDs, we show that although some mutations associated with Tangier Disease, such as N935S, essentially eliminate nucleotide trapping and substrate translocation, other polymorphisms such as L1026P and T2073A associated with low HDL-C, appear to be fully functional. Lastly, we observed differences in the behaviour of both wild-type and mutant forms of ABCA1-GFP depending on whether they were expressed in insect or mammalian cell lines. / Thesis (Ph.D, Pathology & Molecular Medicine) -- Queen's University, 2010-02-12 11:14:11.381

Tyrimų tikslas – išsiaiškinti DVAsiurblių aktyvumą dar neištirtose E. typographi bakterijose, esančiose žievėgraužio tipografo žarnyno mikrofloroje, jas veikiant eterinių aliejų sudedamąją dalimimircenu (MC). Tyrimai atlikti VDU Biochemijos katedroje vykdant potenciometrinius universalaus daugiavaisčio atsparumo siurblių substrato TPP+ jonų srautų per ląstelės apvalkalėlį matavimus.E. typographiląsteliųreakcijas į mirceną lyginome su šios medžiagos poveikiu gramneigiamosiomsE. coli ir S. enterica, ir gramteigiamosiomsS. aureus ir B. subtilis ląstelėms. MC poveikįE. typographiląstelėms stebėjome ir lyginome su pokyčiais, paveikus jas rezerpinu (RZ) ir RND šeimos siurblių slopikliufenilalanil-arginil-β-naftilamidu(PAβN).Tyrėme laukinio tipo ir mutantines E. coliirS. entericaląsteles, o taip pat ląsteles su pralaidinta išorine membrana bei pažeistais DVA siurbliais. Lygindami E. typographiląsteles su gramteigiamosiomis ląstelėmis, išsiaiškinome, kadPAβN panašiai slopina TPP+ kaupimąsi S. aureus, B. subtilis ir E. typographi ląstelėse, bet gramteigiamosioms ląstelėms reikia didesnės MC koncentracijos iki pilnos ląstelių plazminės membranos depoliarizacijos. Alkaloidas rezerpinas EDTA dorotose E. typographi ląstelėse skatino substrato TPP+ jonų sugertį, o ląstelėse su intaktine išorine membrana depoliarizavo plazminę membraną. / The aim of the study was to determine activity of MDR pumps in yet uninvestigated E. typography cells discovered in bark beetle gut microflora. The cells were exposed to myrcene anintegral part essential oils. The Investigations were carried out at department of Biochemistry of VMU using potentiometric analysis of a flow through the cell envelope of an universal substrate of multidrug resistant pumps substrate TPP+ions. Reactions of E. typography cells to myrcene were compared with effects of this compound on Gram-negative E. coli and S. entericaas well as Gram-positive S. aureus and B. subtiliscells. Effects of myrcene on E. typography cell were compared with the cell responses to alkaloid reserpine (RZ) and RND-type efflux pump inhibitor phenylalanyl – arginine – β – naphthylamide ( PAβN ). We investigated also wild type and mutant E. coli and S. enterica cells, including the cells with EDTA-permeabilized outer membrane. Comparing E. typographycells with Gram-positive bacteria we found that inhibition of S. aureus, B. subtilis and E. typography pumpsusing PAβN was similar, but Gram-positive bacteria required higher concentrations of MC to depolarize the cells. Alkaloid reserpine stimulated the accumulation of TPP+ions by EDTA-treated E. typographycells but in the case of cells with the intact outer membrane this inhibitor depolarized the cells.

As one of the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, bacteria use several families of membrane-embedded α-helical transporters to remove cytotoxic molecules from the cell. The small multidrug resistance protein family (SMR) is one such group of drug transporters that because of their relative small size [ca. 110 residues with four transmembrane (TM) helices] must form at the minimum dimers to efflux drugs. We have used the SMR homologue Hsmr from Halobacterium salinarum to investigate the oligomerization properties of the protein family at TM helix 4. We produced point mutations along the length of the TM4 helix in the full length Hsmr protein and assayed their dimerization and functional properties via SDS-PAGE and bacterial cell growth assays. We found that Hsmr forms functionally dependent dimers via an evolutionarily conserved 90GLxLIxxGV98 small residue heptad repeat. Upon investigation of the large hydrophobic residues in this motif by substituting each large residue to Ile, Leu, Met, Phe, and Val, we determined that Hsmr efflux function relies on an optimal level of dimerization. While some substitutions led to either decreased or increased dimer and substrate-binding strength, several Ile94 and Val98 mutants were equal to wild type dimerization levels but were nonfunctional, leading to the hypothesis of a mechanistic role at TM4 in addition to the locus of dimerization. The functionally sensitive TM4 dimer represents a potential target for SMR inhibition using a synthetic TM4 peptide mimetic. Using exponential decay measurements from a real-time cellular efflux assay, we observed the efflux decay constant was decreased by up to ~60% after treatment with the TM4 peptide inhibitor compared to control peptide treatments. Our results suggest that this approach could conceivably be used to design hydrophobic peptides for disruption of key TM-TM interactions of membrane proteins, and represent a valuable route to the discovery of new therapeutics.

Orientador: Roberto Naves Domingos / Banca: Alberto Ibãnez Ruiz / Banca: Dermeval José Mazzini Sartori / Resumo: A cultura de cana-de-açúcar no Brasil ocupa uma extensa área, devido a sua importância econômica e seu potencial na obtenção de bioenergia. É importante saber como esta cultura irá responder ao aumento previsto na concentração de gás carbônico (CO2) atmosférico, uma vez que é um composto chave nos processos das mudanças climática globais. Sabendo que esse gás é emitido tanto pelas folhas como pelas raízes das plantas e difundido pelo solo, o objetivo desse trabalho foi desenvolver uma metodologia para a quantificação de CO2 de solo em condições de laboratório para simular as situações de campo em ambiente controlado. A abordagem utilizou 15 frascos de vidro com capacidade para 2,8 L, fechados com sistema de válvulas para entrada de ar e saída de CO2 acoplados a um analisador de gases LI-COR 840. O experimento também envolveu coleta de solos em área de Latossolo Vermelho Distroférrico típico de textura argilosa, com cultura de cana-deaçúcar em três localidades, sendo uma área coberta com palhada e plantas adultas, outra área arada e gradeada com colmo em brota e outra área desnuda em descanso após colheita de soja. Estas amostras foram peneiradas com malhas de 2,5 mm e 5 mm e secas na sombra ao ar livre num período de 25 dias. Em cada frasco foi acondicionado 1300 g de solo por 20 dias para verificar a atividade do solo em formação de CO2, que foi medida pela câmara respirométrica a qual possui leitor ótico de raios infravermelho não dispersivo, capaz de medir CO2 ativo por vibrações moleculares. Os dados obtidos no sistema demonstraram formação de um valor médio de 483,85 ppm de emissão de CO2, valor este que condiz com o meio natural quando isento de vegetação / Abstract: The cultivation of sugar cane in Brazil occupies a large area due to the economic importance of this crop and its potential for bioenergy. It is important to know how the crop will respond to the increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, since this gas is a key component in the processes of global climate change. This gas is emitted by both the leaves and the roots of plants and distributed throughout the soil. The objective of this study was to develop a methodology for the measurement of CO2 from soil in laboratory conditions to simulate field situations in a controlled environment. The approach used 15 glass bottles with a capacity of 2.8 L, closed with a valve system for air intake and CO2 output coupled to a gas analyzer LI-COR 840. The study also involved collection of soil in the area of Hapludox clayey, with growing sugar cane in three locations and an area covered with straw and adult plants, another area plowed and fenced with sprouts and in stem other denuded areas at rest after soybean harvest. These samples were sieved with meshes of 2.5 mm and 5 mm and dried in the shade outdoors in a period of 25 days. In each vial, samples were taken each day for 20 days consisting of 1300 g of soil to verify the activity of soil formation of CO2, which was measured by the respiration chamber, which has an optical reader of non-dispersive infrared rays, capable of measuring CO2 by active molecular vibrations. The data obtained in the system showed the formation of an average of 483.85 ppm of CO2 emissions, a figure that matches the natural environment when free of vegetation / Mestre

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-05-04T14:54:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 vanessacordeirodias.pdf: 2034556 bytes, checksum: 89059620f1b31c4177f6ae487a15c672 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-06-07T15:33:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 vanessacordeirodias.pdf: 2034556 bytes, checksum: 89059620f1b31c4177f6ae487a15c672 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-07T15:33:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 vanessacordeirodias.pdf: 2034556 bytes, checksum: 89059620f1b31c4177f6ae487a15c672 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-18 / FAPEMIG - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais / As bactérias Gram-negativas não fermentadoras, como Pseudomonas aeruginosa e Acinetobacter baumannii, estão amplamente disseminadas no ambiente e estão cada vez mais associados a infecções nosocomiais graves. O uso extensivo e indiscriminado de antibióticos tem contribuído para um aumento do número de infecções causadas por A. baumannii e P. aeruginosa resistentes a uma grande variedade de agentes antimicrobianos, incluindo β-lactâmicos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar características fisiológicas e moleculares da resistência aos carbapenêmicos em P. aeruginosa e A. baumannii isolados em um hospital terciário. A partir de estudos com amostras clínicas de pacientes admitidos num hospital terciário foram isolados, em 2012, A. baumannii (n=44) e P. aeruginosa (n=28) resistentes aos carbapenêmicos e em 2013, P. aeruginosa (n=19) e A. baumannii (n=44) com igual fenótipo. As amostras bacterianas recuperadas em 2012 foram submetidas a testes de susceptibilidade aos antimicrobianos. Marcadores genéticos relacionados com a síntese de β-lactamases blaOXA-23, blaOXA-24, blaOXA-51, blaOXA-58 e blaOXA-143 foram testados por PCR. A partir das linhagens isoladas no estudo de 2013, testes fisiológicos foram realizados para avaliar a atividade hemolítica, estresse oxidativo, tolerância aos biocidas, formação de biofilme e determinação da resistência aos antimicrobianos. Marcadores genéticos relacionados com a síntese de β-lactamases (ampC, blaKPC, blaSIM, blaIMP, blaSPM-1, blaVIM, blaGIM, blaOXA e blaNDM-1), sistemas de efluxo (adeB, mexB, mexD, mexF e mexY) e perda de porina (oprD) foram pesquisados por PCR. Foram analisados dados epidemiológicos de todos os pacientes avaliados. No estudo de 2012, a polimixina B foi a única droga eficaz para todos os isolados. Os marcadores genéticos foram observados apenas em isolados de Acinetobacter. O genótipo mais frequente observado foi blaOXA-23+/blaOXA-51+ (45,5%), seguido por blaOXA-51+/blaOXA-143+ (41%). Os genes blaOXA-24 e blaOXA-58 não foram detectados. Uma elevada taxa de mortalidade foi observada (> 70%) entre os pacientes. No estudo de 2013, idade avançada, predomínio de indivíduos internados em UTI, uso de dispositivos médicos invasivos, como cateter venoso, tratamento anterior com fluoroquinolonas ou ß-lactâmicos em combinação com um inibidor da β-lactamase e estadia prolongada no hospital foram fatores predisponentes para infecção por estes microrganismos. Colistina demonstrou atividade, in vitro, contra todas as amostras bacterianas avaliadas. Tigeciclina foi também efetiva para linhagens de A. baumannii. P. aeruginosa resistente aos carbapenêmicos não foi capaz de produzir hemolisinas. Essas linhagens foram menos tolerantes ao estresse oxidativo e alguns biocidas, mas mostraram um aumento da capacidade de formação de biofilme em relação aos isolados sensíveis. Os principais mecanismos de resistência presentes em linhagens de A. baumannii resistentes aos carbapenêmicos foi síntese de oxacilinases (OXA-23, OXA-51 e OXA-143), ausência de oprD e presença de bomba de efluxo (AdeABC). Em P. aeruginosa foram encontrados genes para bombas de efluxo (MexAB-OprM, MexCD-OprJ, MexEF-OprN, MexXY-OprM), blaSPM-1, além de ausência de oprD. Estes resultados confirmam a dificuldade de manejo terapêutico de pacientes com infecções associadas a microrganismos multirresistentes, com impacto direto na mortalidade e controle epidemiológico dessas linhagens nos centros de saúde. / The non-fermenting Gram-negative bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii are widespread in the environment and are increasingly associated with severe nosocomial infections. Extensive and indiscriminate use of antibiotics has contributed to an increased number of infections caused by A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa that are resistant to a wide variety of antimicrobials, including β-lactams. This study aimed to evaluate physiological and molecular characteristics of carbapenem resistance in P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii. From studies with clinical samples from patients admitted to a tertiary hospital, were isolated in 2012 A. baumannii (n=44) and P. aeruginosa (n=28) resistant to carbapenems and in 2013, P. aeruginosa (n=19) and A. baumannii (n=44) with similar phenotype. The bacterial samples recovered in 2012 were submitted to antibiotic susceptibility testing. Genetic markers related to β-lactamases synthesis blaOXA-23, blaOXA-24, blaOXA-51, blaOXA-58 and blaOXA-143 were screened by PCR. From strains recovered in the 2013 study, physiological tests were performed to evaluate hemolytic activity, oxidative stress, biocides tolerance and biofilm formation, besides determination of antimicrobial resistance patterns. Genetic markers related to β-lactamases synthesis (ampC, blaKPC, blaSIM, blaIMP, blaSPM-1, blaVIM, blaGIM, blaOXA and blaNDM-1), efflux systems (adeB, mexB, mexD, mexF and mexY) and loss of porin (oprD) were screened by PCR. Epidemiological data about all of these patients were analyzed. In the 2012 study, polymyxin B was the only effective drug for all isolates. Genetic markers were observed only in Acinetobacter isolates. The most frequent genotype observed was blaOXA-23+/blaOXA-51+ (45,5%), followed by blaOXA-51+/blaOXA-143+ (41%). The genes blaOXA-24 and blaOXA-58 were not detected. High mortality rate (> 70%) between the pacients was observed. In a prospective study, advanced age, predominance of individuals hospitalized in ICU, use of invasive medical devices, such as venous catheter, previous treatment with fluoroquinolones or β-lactams in combination with β-lactamase inhibitor and prolonged stay in hospital were predisposing factors for infection by these microorganisms. Colistin has shown activity, in vitro, against all assessed bacterial samples. Tigecycline was also effective for strains of A. baumannii. Carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa was not able to produce hemolysin. These strains were less tolerant to oxidative stress and some biocides, but they showed increased ability of biofilm formation in relation to susceptible isolates. The major mechanisms of carbapenems resistance present in A. baumannii strains was oxacilinases synthesis (OXA-23, OXA-51 and OXA-143), oprD absence and efflux pump presence (AdeABC). In P. aeruginosa was found genes encoding efflux pumps (MexAB-OprM, MexCD-OprJ, MexEF-OprN, MexXY-OprM) and blaSPM-1; besides oprD absence. These results confirm the difficulty of therapeutic management of patients with infections associated with multidrug resistant microorganisms, with direct impact on mortality and epidemiological control of multidrug-resistant strains in health centers.