The Mechanism of Action of Ginkgolic Acid (15:1) against Gram-Positive Bacteria Involves Cross Talk with Iron Homeostasis
Zewen Wen, Yuxi Zhao, Zhengyang Gong, Yuanyuan Tang, Yanpeng Xiong, Junwen Chen, Chengchun Chen, Yufang Zhang, Shanghong Liu, Jinxin Zheng, Duoyun Li, Qiwen Deng, Zhijian Yu
Abstract
The increasing emergence of infectious diseases associated with multidrug-resistant Gram-positive pathogens has raised the urgent need to develop novel antibiotics. GA (15:1) is a natural product derived from Ginkgo biloba and possesses a wide range of bioactivities, including antimicrobial activity. However, its antibacterial mechanisms remain unclear. Our current study found that the function of ferric uptake regulator (Fur) was highly correlated with the antimicrobial activity of GA (15:1) against E. faecalis and that the antibacterial activity of GA (15:1) could be strengthened by the disruption of iron homeostasis. This study provided important insight into the mode of action of GA (15:1) against Gram-positive bacteria and suggested that GA (15:1) holds the potential to be an antimicrobial treatment option for infection caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-positive pathogens.