Abstract
Extracts of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (commonly called Rosselle or “Jamaica flower” in Mexico) have been shown to have antibiotic and antivirulence properties in several bacteria. Here, an organic extract of H. sabdariffa L. is shown to inhibit motility in Salmonella enterica serovars Typhi and Typhimurium. The compound responsible for this effect was purified and found to be the hibiscus acid. When tested, this compound also inhibited motility and reduced the secretion of both flagellin and type III secretion effectors. Purified hibiscus acid was not toxic in tissue-cultured eukaryotic cells, and it was able to reduce the invasion of Salmonella Typhimurium in epithelial cells. Initial steps to understand its mode of action showed it might affect membrane proton balance.
Highlights
The spread of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria is a global public health problem because the treatment of infections caused by these strains has been complicated in recent years, which has led to an increase in the number of deaths and prolonged stays of patients within hospitals [1,2]
In order to test whether these extracts have any antivirulence properties, lower concentrations were tested on plate growth and in a growth curve of Salmonella enterica ser
The results showed that subinhibitory concentrations of H. sabdariffa L. organic extracts do not affect S
Summary
The spread of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria is a global public health problem because the treatment of infections caused by these strains has been complicated in recent years, which has led to an increase in the number of deaths and prolonged stays of patients within hospitals [1,2]. It is estimated that this number will be higher than cancer-related deaths (approximately 8.2 million deaths) [3,4,5] This represents a great challenge for the scientific community, in the design and discovery of new efficient and specific drugs [2,6]. In the search for new drugs for the treatment of diseases caused by MDR bacteria, novel strategies have been proposed such as antivirulence therapy [7,8]. This is based on inhibiting virulence mechanisms without intervening in the main metabolic pathways that are essential for bacterial viability. Considering the high number of virulence factors that can be blocked to decrease bacterial pathogenicity, it is believed that antivirulence therapy has the potential to control and treat infections caused by pathogenic bacteria [7,11]
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