RESUMEN
Staphylococcal pneumonia provoked by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a life-threatening infection in which α-toxin is an essential virulence factor. In this study, we investigate the influence of naringenin on α-toxin production and further assess its therapeutic performance in the treatment of staphylococcal pneumonia. Remarkably, the expression of α-toxin was significantly inhibited when the organism was treated with 16 µg/ml of naringenin. When studied in a mouse model of S. aureus pneumonia, naringenin could attenuate the symptoms of lung injury and inflammation in infected mice. These results suggest that naringenin is a promising agent for treatment of S. aureus infection.
Asunto(s)
Toxinas Bacterianas/biosíntesis , Flavanonas/uso terapéutico , Staphylococcus aureus Resistente a Meticilina/patogenicidad , Fitoterapia , Extractos Vegetales/uso terapéutico , Neumonía Estafilocócica/tratamiento farmacológico , Factores de Virulencia/biosíntesis , Animales , Línea Celular , Citrus paradisi/química , Femenino , Flavanonas/farmacología , Humanos , Inflamación/tratamiento farmacológico , Inflamación/microbiología , Solanum lycopersicum/química , Staphylococcus aureus Resistente a Meticilina/metabolismo , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos C57BL , Extractos Vegetales/farmacología , Neumonía Estafilocócica/microbiologíaRESUMEN
In the present study, the antimicrobial activity of glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) against Staphylococcus aureus, and its influence on the production of S. aureus alpha-haemolysin (Hla) were investigated, along with the in vivo activity of GA against S. aureus-induced pneumonia. GA could not inhibit the growth of S. aureus, but the secretion of Hla by S. aureus was significantly inhibited by low concentrations of GA in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, in vivo data show that GA provides protection against staphylococcal pneumonia in a murine model system.