Flavone Reduces the Production of Virulence Factors, Staphyloxanthin and [alpha]-Hemolysin, in Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of nosocomial infections due to its resistance to diverse antibiotics. This bacterium produces a large number of extracellular virulence factors that are closely associated with specific diseases. In this study, diverse plant flavonoids were investigated to i...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current microbiology 2012-12, Vol.65 (6), p.726
Main Authors: Lee, Jin-hyung, Park, Joo-hyeon, Cho, Moo Hwan, Lee, Jintae
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibiotic resistance
Antibiotics
Bacterial infections
Drug resistance
Flavonoids
Gene expression
Hydrogen peroxide
Microbiology
Nosocomial infection
Pathology
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of nosocomial infections due to its resistance to diverse antibiotics. This bacterium produces a large number of extracellular virulence factors that are closely associated with specific diseases. In this study, diverse plant flavonoids were investigated to identify a novel anti-virulence compound against two S. aureus strains. Flavone, a backbone compound of flavonoids, at subinhibitory concentration (50 μg/mL), markedly reduced the production of staphyloxanthin and α-hemolysin. This staphyloxanthin reduction rendered the S. aureus cells 100 times more vulnerable to hydrogen peroxide in the presence of flavone. In addition, flavone significantly decreased the hemolysis of human red blood by S. aureus, and the transcriptional level of α-hemolysin gene hla and a global regulator gene sae in S. aureus cells. This finding supported the usefulness of flavone as a potential antivirulence agent against antibiotic-resistant S. aureus.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0343-8651
1432-0991
DOI:10.1007/s00284-012-0229-x