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Eriodictyol protects against Staphylococcus aureus-induced lung cell injury by inhibiting alpha-hemolysin expression

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Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a common pathogenic bacterium that causes various diseases in both humans and animals. With the increased prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus, the therapeutic effects of commonly used antibiotics are limited against S. aureus infection. Novel treatment strategies and new antibiotics are needed urgently to address this concern. Many studies have shown that virulence factors secreted from S. aureus play vital roles in their pathogenic processes. Alpha-hemolysin (Hla), an important exotoxin in S. aureus, is one such virulence factor that increases sensitivity of multiple host cells to S. aureus resulting in various diseases. Eriodictyol is a flavonoid compound that exists in many fruits and vegetables. In this study, eriodictyol was demonstrated to inhibit the expression of Hla by hemolysis assays, western blotting, and RT-qPCR at the sub-minimal inhibitory concentration. In live/dead and cytotoxicity assays, the results showed that eriodictyol protected A549 cells against Hla-induced injury in a dose-dependent manner. The minimal inhibitory concentration of eriodictyol against S. aureus was 512 µg/mL. Eriodictyol can downregulate S. aureus Hla at both the expressional and transcriptional levels without affecting S. aureus growth. In addition, cell assays had proved that eriodictyol could protect A549 cells against Hla damage. Eriodictyol could therefore have the potential to treat S. aureus infection targeting Hla.

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Acknowledgements

The study was funded by General Project of Sichuan Provincial Department of Education (Grant No. 16ZB0036) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31702284).

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Author notes

  1. He Xuewen and Ouyang Ping have contributed equally to this study.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agriculture University, Huimin Lu 211, Wenjiang, Chengdu, China

    He Xuewen, Ouyang Ping, Yuan Zhongwei, Yin Zhongqiong, Fu Hualin, Lin Juchun, He Changliang, Shu Gang, Yuan Zhixiang, Song Xu, Zou Yuanfeng, Li Lixia & Yin Lizi

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  1. He Xuewen
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  2. Ouyang Ping
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  3. Yuan Zhongwei
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Correspondence to Yin Lizi.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interest.

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The defibrinated rabbit blood was purchased from Zheng Zhou Jiu Long Biological Products Co Ltd and no animals were directly used in the experiments above.

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Xuewen, H., Ping, O., Zhongwei, Y. et al. Eriodictyol protects against Staphylococcus aureus-induced lung cell injury by inhibiting alpha-hemolysin expression. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 34, 64 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-018-2446-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-018-2446-3

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