Traditional Chinese Medicine Tanreqing Targets Both Cell Division and Virulence in Staphylococcus aureus

Weifeng Yang; Kaiyu Cui; Qian Tong; Shuhua Ma; Yanan Sun; Gaiying He; Dongying Li; Longfei Lin; Biljana Blazekovic; Sylvie Chevalier; Yuanhong Wang; Qing Wei; Yi Wang

doi:10.3389/fcimb.2022.884045

Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology (Apr 2022)

Traditional Chinese Medicine Tanreqing Targets Both Cell Division and Virulence in Staphylococcus aureus

Weifeng Yang,
Kaiyu Cui,
Qian Tong,
Shuhua Ma,
Yanan Sun,
Gaiying He,
Dongying Li,
Longfei Lin,
Biljana Blazekovic,
Sylvie Chevalier,
Yuanhong Wang,
Qing Wei,
Yi Wang

Affiliations

Weifeng Yang: Experimental Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
Kaiyu Cui: Experimental Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
Qian Tong: School of Biological Engineering and Food Science, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
Shuhua Ma: Experimental Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
Yanan Sun: Experimental Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
Gaiying He: Experimental Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
Dongying Li: Experimental Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
Longfei Lin: Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
Biljana Blazekovic: Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Sylvie Chevalier: Laboratory of Microbiology Signals and Microenvironment, Normandy University, University of Rouen Normandy, Evreux, France
Yuanhong Wang: College of Horticulture and Landscape, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin, China
Qing Wei: Nanchang Institute of Technology, Nanchang, China
Yi Wang: Experimental Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2022.884045
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 12

Abstract

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Staphylococcus aureus has been recognized as an important human pathogen and poses a serious health threat worldwide. With the advent of antibiotic resistance, such as the increased number of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), there is an urgent need to develop new therapeutical agents. In this study, Chinese traditional medicine Tanreqing (TRQ) has been used as an alternative treating agent against MRSA and we aim to unravel the mode of action of TRQ underlying MRSA inhibition. TRQ treatment affected numerous gene expression as revealed by RNA-seq analysis. Meanwhile, TRQ targeted cell division to inhibit cell growth as shown by illumination microscopy. Besides, we confirmed that TRQ downregulates the expression of virulence factors such as hemolysin and autolysin. Finally, we used a murine model to demonstrate that TRQ efficiently reduces bacterial virulence. Altogether, we have proved TRQ formula to be an effective agent against S. aureus infections.

Published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

ISSN: 2235-2988 (Online)
Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A.
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Microbiology
Website: http://www.frontiersin.org/Cellular-and-Infection-Microbiology

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