Licoflavonol is an inhibitor of the type three secretion system of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium

Abstract

As an important food-borne human pathogen, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium depends on its type III secretion system (T3SS) as a major virulence factor to cause disease all over the world. The T3SS secretes effector proteins to facilitate invasion into host cells. In this study, twenty prenylated flavonoids (1–20) were screened for their anti-T3SS activity, revealing that several analogs exhibited strong inhibitory effects on the secretion of Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1)-associated effector proteins without affecting the growth of bacteria and the secretion of the flagellar protein FliC. Among the flavonoids 1–20, licoflavonol (20) exhibited a strong inhibitory effect on the secretion of the SPI-1 effector proteins via regulating the transcription of the SicA/InvF genes, and the transportation of the effector protein SipC. In summary, licoflavonol, a novel natural inhibitor of Salmonella T3SS, could be a promising candidate for novel type of anti-virulence drugs.