Skip to main content

Quantitative structure-activity relationships of antimicrobial fatty acids and derivatives against Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

Fatty acids and derivatives (FADs) are resources for natural antimicrobials. In order to screen for additional potent antimicrobial agents, the antimicrobial activities of FADs against Staphylococcus aureus were examined using a microplate assay. Monoglycerides of fatty acids were the most potent class of fatty acids, among which monotridecanoin possessed the most potent antimicrobial activity. The conventional quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) and comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) were performed to establish two statistically reliable models (conventional QSAR: R 2=0.942, Q 2 LOO=0.910; CoMFA: R 2=0.979, Q 2=0.588, respectively). Improved forecasting can be achieved by the combination of these two models that provide a good insight into the structure-activity relationships of the FADs and that may be useful to design new FADs as antimicrobial agents.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

References

  • Bergsson, G., Arnfinnsson, J., Steingrimsson, O., Thormar, H., 2001. In vitro killing of Candida albicans by fatty acids and monoglycerides. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 45(11):3209–3212. [doi:10.1128/AAC.45.11.3209-3212.2001]

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Branen, J.K., Davidson, P.M., 2004. Enhancement of nisin, lysozyme, and monolaurin antimicrobial activities by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and lactoferrin. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 90(1):63–74. [doi:10.1016/S0168-1605(03)00172-7]

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Caballero, J., Saavedera, M., Fernandez, M., Gonzalez-Nilo, F.D., 2007. Quantitative structure-activity relationship of rubiscolin analogues as delta opioid peptides using comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA). J. Agric. Food Chem., 55(20):8101–8104. [doi:10.1021/jf071031h]

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cramer, R.D., Patterson, D.E., Bunce, J.D., 1988. Comparative molecular-field analysis (CoMFA). I. Effect of shape on binding of steroids to carrier proteins. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 110(18):5959–5967. [doi:10.1021/ja00226a005]

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dong, X.W., Liu, T., Yan, J.Y., Wu, P., Chen, J., Hu, Y.Z., 2009. Synthesis, biological evaluation and quantitative structure-activities relationship of flavonoids as vasorelaxant agents. Bioorg. Med. Chem., 17(2):716–726. [doi:10.1016/j.bmc.2008.11.052]

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ghose, A.K., Viswanadhan, V.N., Wendoloski, J.J., 1999. A knowledge-based approach in designing combinatorial or medicinal chemistry libraries for drug discovery. 1. A qualitative and quantitative characterization of known drug databases. J. Comb. Chem., 1(1):55–68. [doi:10.1021/cc9800071]

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez, M.P., Teran, C., Saiz-Urra, L., Teijeira, M., 2008. Variable selection methods in QSAR: an overview. Curr. Top. Med. Chem., 8(18):1606–1627. [doi:10.2174/156802608786786552]

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Habulin, M., Sabeder, S., Knez, Z., 2008. Enzymatic synthesis of sugar fatty acid esters in organic solvent and in supercritical carbon dioxide and their antimicrobial activity. J. Supercrit. Fluids, 45(3):338–345. [doi:10.1016/j.supflu.2008.01.002]

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hemmer, M.C., Steinhauer, V., Gasteiger, J., 1999. Deriving the 3D structure of organic molecules from their infrared spectra. Vibrat. Spectrosc., 19(1):151–164. [doi:10.1016/S0924-2031(99)00014-4]

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hou, C.T., Forman, R., 2000. Growth inhibition of plant pathogenic fungi by hydroxy fatty acids. J. Ind. Microbiol. Biotechnol., 24(4):275–276. [doi:10.1038/sj.jim.2900816]

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hsiao, C.P., Siebert, K.J., 1999. Modeling the inhibitory effects of organic acids on bacteria. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 47(3):189–201. [doi:10.1016/S0168-1605(99)00012-4]

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kabara, J.J., 1984. Antimicrobial agents derived from fatty-acids. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc., 61(2):397–403. [doi:10.1007/BF02678802]

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kabara, J.J., Swieczkowski, D.M., Truant, J.P., Conley, A.J., Truant, J.P., 1972. Fatty-acids and derivatives as antimicrobial agents. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 2(1): 23–28. [doi:10.1128/AAC.2.1.23]

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kabara, J.J., Vrable, R., Liekenjie, M.S.F., 1977. Antimicrbial lipids-natural and synthetic fatty-acids and monoglycerides. Lipids, 12(9):753–759. [doi:10.1007/BF02570908]

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kelsey, J.A., Bayles, K.W., Shafii, B., McGuire, M.A., 2006. Fatty acids and monoacylglycerols inhibit growth of Staphylococcus aureus. Lipids, 41(10):951–961. [doi:10.1007/s11745-006-5048-z]

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kodicek, E., 1949. The effect of unsaturated fatty acids on Gram-positive bacteria. Symp. Soc. Exp. Biol., 3:217–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mercader, A.G., Duchowicz, P.R., Fernandez, F.M., Castro, E.A., 2008a. Modified and enhanced replacement method for the selection of molecular descriptors in QSAR and QSPR theories. Chemom. Intell. Lab. Syst., 92(2): 138–144. [doi:10.1016/j.chemolab.2008.02.005]

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mercader, A.G., Duchowicz, P.R., Fernandez, F.M., Castro, E.A., 2008b. QSAR Search Tool Tutorial-Replacement method. Available from http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/19578

  • Mercader, A.G., Duchowicz, P.R., Fernandez, F.M., Castro, E.A., 2010. Replacement method and enhanced replacement method versus the genetic algorithm approach for the selection of molecular descriptors in QSPR/QSAR theories. J. Chem. Inf. Model., 50(9):1542–1548. [doi:10.1021/ci100103r]

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nagle, J.K., 1990. Atomic polarizability and electronegativity. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 112(12):4741–4747. [doi:10.1021/ja00168a019]

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nakai, S.A., Siebert, K.J., 2003. Validation of bacterial growth inhibition models based on molecular properties of organic acids. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 86(3):249–255. [doi:10.1016/S0168-1605(02)00551-2]

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nakai, S.A., Siebert, K.J., 2004. Organic acid inhibition models for Listeria innocua, Listeria ivanovii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Oenococcus oeni. Food Microbiol., 21(1):67–72. [doi:10.1016/S0740-0020(03)00043-1]

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nobmann, P., Smith, A., Dunne, J., Henehan, G., Bourke, P., 2009. The antimicrobial efficacy and structure activity relationship of novel carbohydrate fatty acid derivatives against Listeria spp. and food spoilage microorganisms. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 128(3):440–445. [doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2008.10.008]

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schmid, R., 2001. Recent advances in the description of the structure of water, the hydrophobic effect, and the like-dissolves-like rule. Monatshefte für Chemie, 132(11): 1295–1326. [doi:10.1007/s007060170019]

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Todeschini, R., Gramatica, P., 1997. 3D-modelling and prediction by WHIM descriptors. Part 5. Theory development and chemical meaning of the WHIM descriptors. Quant. Struct.-Act. Relat., 16(2):113–119. [doi:10.1002/qsar.19970160203]

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Todeschini, R., Consonni, V., 2000. Handbook of Molecular Descriptors. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim and New York. [doi:10.1002/9783527613106]

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Wei, D.G., Yang, G.F., Wan, J., Zhan, C.G., 2005. Binding model construction of antifungal 2-aryl-4-chromanones using CoMFA, CoMSIA, and QSAR analyses. J. Agric. Food Chem., 53(5):1604–1611. [doi:10.1021/jf048313r]

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Feng-qin Feng.

Additional information

The two authors contributed equally to this work

Project (No. 31071501) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhang, H., Zhang, L., Peng, Lj. et al. Quantitative structure-activity relationships of antimicrobial fatty acids and derivatives against Staphylococcus aureus . J. Zhejiang Univ. Sci. B 13, 83–93 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1100049

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1100049

Key words

  • Fatty acid derivatives
  • Quantitative structure-activity relationship
  • Comparative molecular field analysis
  • Antimicrobial activity

CLC number

  • TS221