VFDB 2025: an integrated resource for exploring anti-virulence compounds.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Pharmacology
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Bacterial multidrug resistance necessitates novel therapeutic strategies beyond conventional antibiotics.
• Anti-virulence therapies disarm pathogens by targeting virulence factors (VFs), reducing resistance selection pressure.
• Despite numerous candidates, no anti-virulence small molecules are clinically approved due to pathogenesis complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a comprehensive reference resource for anti-virulence compounds.
• To facilitate drug design, repurposing, and target selection for antibacterial therapies.
• To integrate VF data with compound information for interdisciplinary research.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature mining to collect data on anti-virulence compounds.
• Integration of collected compound data with the existing Virulence Factor Database (VFDB).
• Cross-linking VF knowledge with compound details including classification, structure, targets, and mechanisms.

Main Results:

• The VFDB now contains 902 anti-virulence compounds across 17 superclasses.
• Data is sourced from 262 global studies.
• The database provides cross-linked information on bacterial VFs and relevant compounds.

Conclusions:

• The enhanced VFDB serves as a crucial resource for developing innovative antibacterial therapies.
• It bridges the gap between chemistry and microbiology for effective anti-virulence drug discovery.
• The database supports the fight against bacterial infections and antibiotic resistance.