Silencing quorum sensing through extracts of Melicope lunu-ankenda.
Quorum sensing regulates bacterial virulence determinants, therefore making it an interesting target to attenuate pathogens. In this work, we screened edible, endemic plants in Malaysia for anti-quorum sensing properties. Extracts from Melicope lunu-ankenda (Gaertn.) T. G. Hartley, a Malay garden salad, inhibited response of Chromobacterium violaceum CV026 to N-hexanoylhomoserine lactone, thus interfering with violacein production; reduced bioluminescence expression of E. coli [pSB401], disrupted pyocyanin synthesis, swarming motility and expression of lecA::lux of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. Although the chemical nature of the anti-QS compounds from M. lunu-ankenda is currently unknown, this study proves that endemic Malaysian plants could serve as leads in the search for anti-quorum sensing compounds.
Division of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. etaly87@yahoo.com
Li Ying
LY
Tan
Wai-Fong
WF
Yin
Kok-Gan
KG
Chan
D049449:Luminescence; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D053038:Quorum Sensing / Q000187:drug effects*; D027821:Rutaceae / Q000737:chemistry*
D010936:Plant Extracts