title: Inhibitory Effect of Epigallocatechin Gallate on the Virulence of Clostridium difficile PCR Ribotype 027.
abstract: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the most prevalent cause of health-care-associated infections. CDI-related health-care costs and deaths are both increasing annually on a global scale. C. difficile have been reported in food products in Canada, Europe, and the United States; however, the systematic transmission of C. difficile between humans and animals is yet to be understood. Because of the limitations of current therapeutic options, there is a need for the development of new patient treatments. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a major catechin compound found in green tea extracts and exhibits antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. This study was conducted to investigate the inhibitory effects of EGCG on the expression of virulence genes in C. difficile and in C. difficile-associated diseases by inhibition of quorum sensing. The protein expression of autoinducer-2 (AI-2) was evaluated by AI-2 activity. EGCG at various concentrations had an inhibitory effect on AI-2 production, especially at 10 μg/mL. EGCG also significantly repressed the transcription of virulence genes, including luxS and tcdA, and prolonged the survival of Caenorhabditis elegans infected with C. difficile. Furthermore, treatment with EGCG effectively protected C. difficile-infected mice from C. difficile-induced death. Histological analysis of the colon and cecum of these mice revealed that EGCG protected tissues of the lower intestinal tract from damage. EGCG exerted growth-inhibitory and bactericidal activities on C. difficile in C. difficile-infected mice. Our results suggest that EGCG has significant antipathogenic effects on C. difficile and can be used to prevent or treat C. difficile-associated diseases or C. difficile infections.
authors.affiliation: Div. of Animal Science, Chonnam National Univ, Gwangju, 500-757, South Korea.
authors.forename: Bohyun
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.affiliation: Div. of Animal Science, Chonnam National Univ, Gwangju, 500-757, South Korea.
authors.forename: Seunghan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Div. of Animal Science, Chonnam National Univ, Gwangju, 500-757, South Korea.
authors.forename: Minyu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Div. of Food and Nutrition, Chonnam National Univ, Gwangju, 500-757, South Korea.
authors.forename: Young-Shick
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan Univ, Suwon, 440-746, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sungsu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Food Research Inst, Seongnam, 463-746, South Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-June
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Food Science, Univ. of Guelph, Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety, 000 Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: Mansel W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.affiliation: Div. of Animal Science, Chonnam National Univ, Gwangju, 500-757, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sejong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans; D028241:Camellia sinensis / Q000737:chemistry*; D002392:Catechin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006714:Homoserine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D007783:Lactones / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D053038:Quorum Sensing; D021521:Ribotyping; D013045:Species Specificity; D014774:Virulence / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D007783:Lactones; C091088:N-octanoylhomoserine lactone; D010936:Plant Extracts; D006714:Homoserine; D002392:Catechin; C045651:epigallocatechin gallate
keywords: Autoinducer 2; Clostridium difficile PCR ribotype 027; Clostridium difficile infection model; Epigallocatechin gallate; Quorum sensing