Abstract
The continuing emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens is a concern to human health and highlights the urgent need for the development of alternative therapeutic strategies. Quorum sensing (QS) regulates virulence in many bacterial pathogens, and thus, is a promising target for antivirulence therapy which may inhibit virulence instead of cell growth and division. This means that there is little selective pressure for the evolution of resistance. Many natural quorum quenching (QQ) agents have been identified. Moreover, it has been shown that many microorganisms are capable of producing small molecular QS inhibitors and/or macromolecular QQ enzymes, which could be regarded as a strategy for bacteria to gain benefits in competitive environments. More than 30 species of marine QQ bacteria have been identified thus far, but only a few of them have been intensively studied. Recent studies indicate that an enormous number of QQ microorganisms are undiscovered in the highly diverse marine environments, and these marine microorganism-derived QQ agents may be valuable resources for antivirulence therapy.
Highlights
Antibiotics are recognized as effective antimicrobial agents for curing diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria
P. aeruginosa [50] and cholerae autoinducer-1 (CAI-1)-dependent Quorum sensing (QS) in V. cholerae [51] are negatively correlated with virulence, which means that these two particular pathways should be activated rather than inhibited for reducing virulence
Honaucin A from the cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya was recently identified as an inhibitor against QS of V. harveyi and V. fischeri [57], whereas two synthesized honaucin A derivates, 4'-bromohonaucin A and
Summary
Antibiotics are recognized as effective antimicrobial agents for curing diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria. In contrast to the rising levels of antibiotic resistance, the pace of novel antibiotic development has severely slowed in the preceding few decades This problem leads to the urgent need for the development of new antimicrobial agents targeting virulence (toxin function and delivery, regulation of virulence expression and bacterial adhesion) rather than the essential processes of pathogenic microorganisms [1]. Because QS is not essential for the growth of bacteria, quenching QS (quorum quenching, QQ) in these pathogens would disarm virulence rather than kill the bacteria, which may considerably weaken the selective pressure imposed on the pathogens and delay the evolution of resistance to QQ drugs All of these features make QS an ideal target for antivirulence therapy [1]. A critical appraisal and perspective of the resource for antivirulence in the environment is presented
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
