Inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm Formation and Virulence Factor Production by Petroselinic Acid and Other Unsaturated C18 Fatty Acids
Jin‐Hyung Lee, Jin‐Hyung Lee, Yong‐Guy Kim, Jintae Lee, Jintae Lee
Abstract
Fatty acids with a long carbon chain have recently attracted attention because of their antibiofilm activities against microbes. Here, we report the antibiofilm activities of 27 fatty acids against S. aureus. Of the fatty acids tested, three C18 unsaturated fatty acids (petroselinic, vaccenic, and oleic acids) significantly inhibited biofilm formation by S. aureus. Furthermore, petroselinic acid inhibited the production of several virulence factors in S. aureus. The study also reveals that the action mechanism of petroselinic acid involves repression of quorum-sensing-related and virulence regulator genes. These findings show that natural and nontoxic petroselinic acid has potential use as a treatment for S. aureus infections, including infections by methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains, and in food processing facilities.