Sinigrin reduces the virulence of Staphylococcus aureus by targeting coagulase

Multi-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infection is a significant global health concern owing to its high mortality and morbidity rates. Coagulase (Coa), a key enzyme that activates prothrombin to initiate host coagulation, has emerged as a promising target for anti-infective therapeutic approaches. This study identified sinigrin as a potent Coa inhibitor that significantly inhibited S. aureus-induced coagulation at concentration as low as 32 mg/L. Additionally, at a higher concentration of 128 mg/L, sinigrin disrupted the self-protection mechanism of S. aureus. Thermal shift and fluorescence-quenching assays confirmed the direct binding of sinigrin to the Coa protein. Molecular docking analysis predicted specific binding sites for sinigrin in the Coa molecule, and point mutation experiments highlighted the importance of Arg-187 and Asp-222 as critical binding sites for both Coa and sinigrin. In vivo studies demonstrated that the combination of sinigrin with oxacillin exhibited greater antibacterial efficacy than oxacillin alone in the treatment of S. aureus-induced pneumonia in mice. Furthermore, sinigrin was shown to reduce bacterial counts and inflammatory cytokine levels in the lung tissues of S. aureus-infected mice. In summary, sinigrin was shown to directly target Coa, resulting in the attenuation of S. aureus virulence, which suggests the potential of sinigrin as an adjuvant for future antimicrobial therapies.