AUTHOR=Mishra Rashmi , Kushveer Jai Shanti , Khan Mohd. Imran K. , Pagal Sudhakar , Meena Chetan Kumar , Murali Ayaluru , Dhayalan Arunkumar , Venkateswara Sarma Vemuri 

TITLE=2,4-Di-Tert-Butylphenol Isolated From an Endophytic Fungus, Daldinia eschscholtzii, Reduces Virulence and Quorum Sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01668

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2020.01668

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</italic> is among the top three gram-negative bacteria according to the WHO’s critical priority list of pathogens against which newer antibiotics are urgently needed and considered a global threat due to multiple drug resistance. This situation demands unconventional antimicrobial strategies such as the inhibition of quorum sensing to alleviate the manifestation of classical resistance mechanisms. Here, we report that 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol (2,4-DBP), isolated from an endophytic fungus, <italic>Daldinia eschscholtzii</italic>, inhibits the quorum-sensing properties of <italic>P. aeruginosa.</italic> We have found that treating <italic>P. aeruginosa</italic> with 2,4-DBP substantially reduced the secretion of virulence factors as well as biofilm, and its associated factors that are controlled by quorum sensing, in a dose-dependent manner. Concomitantly, 2,4-DBP also significantly reduced the expression of quorum sensing-related genes, i.e., <italic>lasI</italic>, <italic>lasR</italic>, <italic>rhlI</italic>, and <italic>rhlR</italic> significantly. Importantly, 2,4-DBP restricted the adhesion and invasion of <italic>P. aeruginosa</italic> to the A549 lung alveolar carcinoma cells. In addition, bactericidal assay with 2,4-DBP exhibited synergism with ampicillin to kill <italic>P. aeruginosa.</italic> Furthermore, our computational studies predicted that 2,4-DBP could bind to the <italic>P. aeruginosa</italic> quorum-sensing receptors LasR and RhlR. Collectively, these data suggest that 2,4-DBP can be exploited as a standalone drug or in combination with antibiotic(s) as an anti-virulence and anti-biofilm agent to combat the multidrug resistant <italic>P. aeruginosa</italic> infection.</p>