Marine Drugs (Apr 2024)

2,3-Dimethoxycinnamic Acid from a Marine Actinomycete, a Promising Quorum Sensing Inhibitor in <i>Chromobacterium violaceum</i>

  • Yanqun Li,
  • Wenping Ding,
  • Jiajia Yin,
  • Xingyu Li,
  • Xinpeng Tian,
  • Zhihui Xiao,
  • Fazuo Wang,
  • Hao Yin

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/md22040177
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 22, no. 4
p. 177

Abstract

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An ethyl acetate extract of a marine actinomycete strain, Nocardiopsis mentallicus SCSIO 53858, isolated from a deep-sea sediment sample in the South China Sea, exhibited anti-quorum-sensing (QS) activity against Chromobacterium violaceum CV026. Guided by the anti-QS activity, a novel active compound was isolated and purified from the extract and was identified as 2,3-dimethoxycinnamic acid (2,3-DCA) through spectral data analysis. At a concentration of 150 μg/mL, 2,3-DCA exhibited robust inhibitory effects on three QS-regulated traits of C. violaceum CV026: violacein production, swarming motility, and biofilm formation, with inhibition rates of 73.9%, 65.9%, and 37.8%, respectively. The quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction results indicated that 2,3-DCA can disrupt the QS system in C. violaceum CV026 by effectively suppressing the expression of QS-related genes, including cviR, vioA, vioB, and vioE. Molecular docking analysis revealed that 2,3-DCA hinders the QS system by competitively binding to the same binding pocket on the CviR receptor as the natural signal molecule N-hexanoyl-L-homoserine lactone. Collectively, these findings suggest that 2,3-DCA exhibits promising potential as an inhibitor of QS systems, providing a potential solution to the emerging problem of bacterial resistance.

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