Virulence factors and quorum sensing as targets of new therapeutic options by plant-derived compounds against bacterial infections caused by human and animal pathogens

Vet World Vol.16 June-2023 Article-23

Review Article

Veterinary World, 16(6): 1346-1355

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2023.1346-1355

Warangkana Kitpipit^1,2,3, C. Norman Scholfield^1,2, Suthinee Sangkanu⁴, Veeranoot Nissapatorn⁴, Maria de Lourdes Pereira⁵, Alok K. Paul⁶, and Watcharapong Mitsuwan^1,2,7

1. Akkhraratchakumari Veterinary College, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160, Thailand.
2. One Health Research Center, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160, Thailand.
3. Food Technology and Innovation Center of Excellence, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160, Thailand.
4. School of Allied Health Sciences, Southeast Asia Water Team, World Union for Herbal Drug Discovery, and Research Excellence Center for Innovation and Health Products, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160, Thailand.
5. Department of Medical Sciences, CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
6. School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia.
7. Center of Excellence in Innovation of Essential Oil and Bioactive Compounds, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160, Thailand.

Background and Aim: The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and hospital-acquired bacterial infection has become rampant due to antibiotic overuse. Virulence factors are secondary to bacterial growth and are important in their pathogenesis, and therefore, new antimicrobial therapies to inhibit bacterial virulence factors are becoming important strategies against antibiotic resistance. Here, we focus on anti-virulence factors that act through anti-quorum sensing and the subsequent clearance of bacteria by antimicrobial compounds, especially active herbal extracts. These quorum sensing systems are based on toxins, biofilms, and efflux pumps, and bioactive compounds isolated from medicinal plants can treat bacterial virulence pathologies. Ideally, bacterial virulence factors are secondary growth factors of bacteria. Hence, inhibition of bacterial virulence factors could reduce bacterial pathogenesis. Furthermore, anti-virulence factors from herbal compounds can be developed as novel treatments for bacterial infection. Therefore, this narrative review aims to discuss bacterial virulence factors acting through quorum sensing systems that are preserved as targets for treating bacterial infection by plant-derived compounds.

Keywords: antibiotic resistance, pathogens, phytochemicals, quorum sensing system, virulence factors.

How to cite this article: Kitpipit W, Scholfield CN, Sangkanu S, Nissapatorn V, Pereira MDL, Paul AK, and Mitsuwan W (2023) Virulence factors and quorum sensing as targets of new therapeutic options by plant-derived compounds against bacterial infections caused by human and animal pathogens, Veterinary World, 16(6): 1346-1355.

Received: 17-03-2023 Accepted: 25-05-2023 Published online: 14-06-2023

Corresponding author: Watcharapong Mitsuwan E-mail: watcharapong.mi@wu.ac.th

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2023.1346-1355

Copyright: Kitpipit, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.