title: Sesquiterpene farnesol as a competitive inhibitor of lipase activity of Staphylococcus aureus.
abstract: Staphylococcus aureus lipase (SAL) is known to possess broad substrate specificity for triacylglycerides. We found that a sub-minimum inhibitory concentration of farnesol (1000 mg L(-1)) inhibits this lipase activity on a Mueller-Hinton agar containing 1% Tween substrates. A quantitative lipase assay using p-nitrophenyl palmitate (pNPP) revealed that the inhibitory action of farnesol appears to be the result of the inhibition of lipase activity rather than of its secretion into the culture medium. The inhibition was observed in all the tested 8 methicillin-susceptible S. aureus and 31 methicillin-resistant S. aureus clinical isolates. Using homogeneous lipase purified by hydrophobic interaction chromatography, it was revealed that farnesol could competitively inhibit the lipase activity against the substrate pNPP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. makokuro@nih.go.jp
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: Sanae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagasaki
authors.forename: Ryuta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Toshiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohta
mesh_terms: D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005204:Farnesol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008049:Lipase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010168:Palmitates / Q000378:metabolism; D011136:Polysorbates / Q000378:metabolism; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D010168:Palmitates; D011136:Polysorbates; C050015:4-nitrophenyl palmitate; D005204:Farnesol; D008049:Lipase