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A 1.5 Hour Procedure for Identification of Enterococcus Species Directly from Blood Cultures
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Identification and evaluation of quercetin as a potential inhibitor of naphthoate synthase from Enterococcus faecalis

Satyajeet Das1, Sagar Batra1, Pramodkumar P Gupta2

  • 1Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur, India.

Journal of Molecular Recognition : JMR
|July 30, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Researchers identified naphthoate synthase as a key target to combat multidrug-resistant Enterococcus faecalis infections. Quercetin shows potential as an inhibitor, offering a new avenue for developing antibacterial drugs against this common pathogen.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Drug Discovery

Background:

  • Enterococcus faecalis is a major cause of nosocomial infections, often exhibiting multidrug resistance (MDR).
  • The emergence of MDR strains necessitates the identification of novel therapeutic targets and antibacterial agents.
  • Naphthoate synthase (DHNS) is essential for menaquinone (vitamin K2) synthesis in E. faecalis, making it a promising drug target.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize naphthoate synthase (DHNS) as a potential anti-E. faecalis target.
  • To investigate quercetin as a potential inhibitor of DHNS activity.
  • To provide a foundation for structure-based drug development against E. faecalis.

Main Methods:

  • Cloning, expression, and purification of E. faecalis naphthoate synthase (EfDHNS).
  • In silico modeling, molecular dynamics simulation, and docking studies of EfDHNS with quercetin.
  • Biochemical and spectrofluorimetric assays to evaluate quercetin's inhibitory effect and binding affinity.

Main Results:

  • Naphthoate synthase (DHNS) was successfully cloned, expressed, purified, and structurally studied.
  • In silico analyses predicted quercetin as a potential inhibitor of EfDHNS.
  • Biochemical and spectrofluorimetric data confirmed quercetin's ability to inhibit EfDHNS activity and bind to the enzyme at low concentrations.

Conclusions:

  • Naphthoate synthase is a validated anti-E. faecalis target.
  • Quercetin is a promising lead compound for developing new antibacterial drugs against E. faecalis.
  • This study lays the groundwork for structure-based drug design targeting E. faecalis infections.
Keywords:
E. faecalis naphthoate synthasedockingin silico modelingpreliminary structural studiesspectrofluorimetric binding studies

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