Exploring Morin as an anti-quorum sensing agent (anti-QSA) against resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus an opportunistic pathogen, causes biofilm-associated infections like nosocomial and chronic disease, where quorum sensing plays vital role. Biofilm-associated infections are provocative due to antibiotic resistance and become major public health threat to human. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to identify novel compounds and groundbreaking methods to pervade and clear biofilm-associated infections. It has been suggested that naturally occurring small molecules especially flavonoids could be used as a new source of anti-biofilm drugs. Thus, an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of Morin against Staphylococcus aureus resistant strains, through in-vitro (antibacterial, anti-biofilm, microscopic analysis, anti-motility, anti-spreading, cell viability and EPS production assay) and in-silico studies (Docking and Molecular dynamic simulation). Interestingly, in vitro and microscopic analysis revealed Morin to have very less or negligible antibiotic activity against methicillin resistant and vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, however, Morin exhibited significant biofilm inhibition, reduced motility and spreading, and EPS production of both the resistant strains. Further, studies on the molecular interaction of Morin with global regulatory protein (SarA) of Staphylococcus aureus, suggested the effective role of Morin as an anti-quorum sensing agent and interpolating the further studies to suit it as drug candidate against the pathogenic bacteria.