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Martin ALAR, Pereira RLS, Rocha JE, Farias PAM, Freitas TS, Caldas FRDL, Figueredo FG, Sampaio NFL, Oliveira-Tintino CDDM, Tintino SR, da Hora GCA, Lima MCP, de Menezes IRA, Carvalho DT, Coutinho HDM, Fonteles MMF. Unlocking bacterial defense: Exploring the potent inhibition of NorA efflux pump by coumarin derivatives in Staphylococcus aureus. Microb Pathog 2024; 190:106608. [PMID: 38503396 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2024.106608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
The occurrence of bacterial resistance has been increasing, compromising the treatment of various infections. The high virulence of Staphylococcus aureus allows for the maintenance of the infectious process, causing many deaths and hospitalizations. The MepA and NorA efflux pumps are transporter proteins responsible for expelling antimicrobial agents such as fluoroquinolones from the bacterial cell. Coumarins are phenolic compounds that have been studied for their diverse biological actions, including against bacteria. A pharmacokinetic in silico characterization of compounds C10, C11, C13, and C14 was carried out according to the principles of Lipinski's Rule of Five, in addition to searching for similarity in ChemBL and subsequent search for publications in CAS SciFinder. All compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial and modulatory activity against standard and multidrug-resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains. The effect of coumarins C9, C10, C11, C13, and C14 as efflux pump inhibitors in Staphylococcus aureus strains was evaluated using the microdilution method (MepA or NorA) and fluorimetry (NorA). The behavior of coumarins regarding the efflux pump was determined from their interaction properties with the membrane and coumarin-protein using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations. Only the isolated coumarin compound C13 showed antibacterial activity against standard strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. However, the other tested coumarins showed modulatory capacity for fluoroquinolone and aminoglycoside antibacterials. Compounds C10, C13, and C14 were effective in reducing the MIC of both antibiotics for both multidrug-resistant strains, while C11 potentiated the effect of norfloxacin and gentamicin for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and only norfloxacin for Gram-negative. Only coumarin C14 produced synergistic effects when associated with ciprofloxacin in MepA-carrying strains. All tested coumarins have the ability to inhibit the NorA efflux pump present in Staphylococcus aureus, both in reducing the MIC and inducing increased ethidium bromide fluorescence emission in fluorimetry. The findings of this study offer an atomistic perspective on the potential of coumarins as active inhibitors of the NorA pump, highlighting their specific mode of action mainly targeting protein inhibition. In molecular docking, it was observed that coumarins are capable of interacting with various amino acid residues of the NorA pump. The simulation showed that coumarin C10 can cross the bilayer; however, the other coumarins interacted with the membrane but were unable to cross it. Coumarins demonstrated their potentiating role in the effect of norfloxacin through a dual mechanism: efflux pump inhibition through direct interaction with the protein (C9, C10, C11, and C13) and increased interaction with the membrane (C10 and C13). In the context of pharmacokinetic prediction studies, the studied structures have a suitable chemical profile for possible oral use. We suggest that coumarin derivatives may be an interesting alternative in the future for the treatment of resistant bacterial infections, with the possibility of a synergistic effect with other antibacterials, although further studies are needed to characterize their therapeutic effects and toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Luíza A R Martin
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Federal University of Ceará - UFC, 60430-160, Fortaleza, Brazil; Department of Biological Chemistry, Regional University of Cariri - URCA. 63105-000, Crato, Brazil; School of Medicine, Medical Education Institute - IDOMED, 63048-080, Juazeiro do Norte, Brazil
| | | | - Janaína Esmeraldo Rocha
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Regional University of Cariri - URCA. 63105-000, Crato, Brazil
| | - Pablo A M Farias
- School of Medicine, Medical Education Institute - IDOMED, 63048-080, Juazeiro do Norte, Brazil; CECAPE College, 63024-015, Juazeiro do Norte, Brazil
| | - Thiago S Freitas
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Regional University of Cariri - URCA. 63105-000, Crato, Brazil
| | | | - Fernando G Figueredo
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Regional University of Cariri - URCA. 63105-000, Crato, Brazil; School of Medicine, Medical Education Institute - IDOMED, 63048-080, Juazeiro do Norte, Brazil
| | - Nadghia Figueiredo Leite Sampaio
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Regional University of Cariri - URCA. 63105-000, Crato, Brazil; School of Medicine, Medical Education Institute - IDOMED, 63048-080, Juazeiro do Norte, Brazil
| | | | - Saulo Relison Tintino
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Regional University of Cariri - URCA. 63105-000, Crato, Brazil
| | | | | | - Irwin Rose A de Menezes
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Regional University of Cariri - URCA. 63105-000, Crato, Brazil
| | - Diogo T Carvalho
- School of Pharmacy, Federal University of Alfenas - UNIFAL, 37130-001, Alfenas, Brazil
| | - Henrique D M Coutinho
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Regional University of Cariri - URCA. 63105-000, Crato, Brazil.
| | - Marta M F Fonteles
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Federal University of Ceará - UFC, 60430-160, Fortaleza, Brazil
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de Araújo-Neto JB, Oliveira-Tintino CDDM, de Araújo GA, Alves DS, Ribeiro FR, Brancaglion GA, Carvalho DT, Lima CMG, Mohammed Ali HSH, Rather IA, Wani MY, Emran TB, Coutinho HDM, Balbino VDQ, Tintino SR. 3-Substituted Coumarins Inhibit NorA and MepA Efflux Pumps of Staphylococcus aureus. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:1739. [PMID: 38136773 PMCID: PMC10741188 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12121739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Coumarins are compounds with scientifically proven antibacterial properties, and modifications to the chemical structure are known to improve their effects. This information is even more relevant with the unbridled advances of antibiotic resistance, where Staphylococcus aureus and its efflux pumps play a prominent role. The study's objective was to evaluate the potential of synthetic coumarins with different substitutions in the C-3 position as possible inhibitors of the NorA and MepA efflux pumps of S. aureus. For this evaluation, the following steps took place: (i) the determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC); (ii) the association of coumarins with fluoroquinolones and ethidium bromide (EtBr); (iii) the assessment of the effect on EtBr fluorescence emission; (iv) molecular docking; and (v) an analysis of the effect on membrane permeability. Coumarins reduced the MICs of fluoroquinolones and EtBr between 50% and 87.5%. Coumarin C1 increased EtBr fluorescence emission between 20 and 40% by reinforcing the evidence of efflux inhibition. The molecular docking results demonstrated that coumarins have an affinity with efflux pumps and establish mainly hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. Furthermore, C1 did not change the permeability of the membrane. Therefore, we conclude that these 3-substituted coumarins act as inhibitors of the NorA and MepA efflux pumps of S. aureus.
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Affiliation(s)
- José B. de Araújo-Neto
- Postgraduate Program in Biological Sciences, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife 50740-570, PE, Brazil; (J.B.d.A.-N.); (V.d.Q.B.)
| | - Cícera D. de M. Oliveira-Tintino
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Chemistry, Regional University of Cariri, Crato 63105-000, CE, Brazil; (C.D.d.M.O.-T.); (G.A.d.A.); (D.S.A.); (S.R.T.)
| | - Gildênia A. de Araújo
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Chemistry, Regional University of Cariri, Crato 63105-000, CE, Brazil; (C.D.d.M.O.-T.); (G.A.d.A.); (D.S.A.); (S.R.T.)
| | - Daniel S. Alves
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Chemistry, Regional University of Cariri, Crato 63105-000, CE, Brazil; (C.D.d.M.O.-T.); (G.A.d.A.); (D.S.A.); (S.R.T.)
| | - Fernanda R. Ribeiro
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Research Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas 37130-001, MG, Brazil; (F.R.R.); (G.A.B.); (D.T.C.)
| | - Guilherme A. Brancaglion
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Research Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas 37130-001, MG, Brazil; (F.R.R.); (G.A.B.); (D.T.C.)
| | - Diogo T. Carvalho
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Research Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas 37130-001, MG, Brazil; (F.R.R.); (G.A.B.); (D.T.C.)
| | | | - Hani S. H. Mohammed Ali
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; (H.S.H.M.A.); (I.A.R.)
| | - Irfan A. Rather
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; (H.S.H.M.A.); (I.A.R.)
| | - Mohmmad Y. Wani
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Talha B. Emran
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA;
- Legorreta Cancer Center, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh
| | - Henrique D. M. Coutinho
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Chemistry, Regional University of Cariri, Crato 63105-000, CE, Brazil; (C.D.d.M.O.-T.); (G.A.d.A.); (D.S.A.); (S.R.T.)
| | - Valdir de Q. Balbino
- Postgraduate Program in Biological Sciences, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife 50740-570, PE, Brazil; (J.B.d.A.-N.); (V.d.Q.B.)
| | - Saulo R. Tintino
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Chemistry, Regional University of Cariri, Crato 63105-000, CE, Brazil; (C.D.d.M.O.-T.); (G.A.d.A.); (D.S.A.); (S.R.T.)
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