Lakshmi, Selvaraj Alagu, et al. Journal of biotechnology 317 (2020): 59-69.
Docosanol, a saturated 22-carbon fatty alcohol, has emerged as a promising antibiofilm agent capable of targeting multiple virulence mechanisms in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In this study, docosanol-isolated from Streptomyces-was evaluated for its ability to disrupt biofilm architecture and suppress toxin production, offering a multi-targeted strategy for combating antibiotic-resistant infections.
Microscopic analyses, including light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and confocal laser scanning microscopy, revealed that treatment with docosanol (500 μg/mL) resulted in a pronounced reduction in adherent MRSA cells and dismantled the three-dimensional biofilm matrix. Functionally, docosanol diminished MRSA survival in healthy human blood and enhanced neutrophil-mediated bacterial clearance by interfering with hemolysin production.
At the molecular level, RT-qPCR assays demonstrated that docosanol significantly downregulated multiple virulence-associated genes, likely through modulation of the accessory gene regulator (agr) quorum sensing system and the transcriptional regulator sarA. This suppression of both structural and regulatory elements of virulence highlights docosanol's dual action: physical disruption of biofilms and genetic repression of pathogenicity determinants.
Given its capacity to target biofilm phenotype, inhibit toxin synthesis, and potentiate host immune responses, docosanol represents a compelling therapeutic candidate against biofilm-associated MRSA infections. Future work should focus on elucidating its precise molecular interactions at transcriptional and translational levels, as well as evaluating its clinical efficacy in combination with existing antimicrobial regimens.
Marcelletti, John F. Antiviral research 56.2 (2002): 153-166.
