Department of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Medical College, Yancheng
Post Graduate Centre, Management and Science University, University Drive, Off Persiaran Olahraga, Selangor, MALAYSIA
Department of Diagnostic and Allied Health Science, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Management and Science University, Shah Alam, MALAYSIA
Jinling Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing
Corresponding author.
Dr. Lihu Zhang Department of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Vocational College of Medicine, Yancheng 224005, Jiangsu Province, CHINA. Email: zlh800927@163.com
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ABSTRACT
Background
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a ubiquitous opportunistic pathogen that poses a significant threat to hospitalized patients by causing a wide range of infections. The alarming increase in clinical resistance to all current antibiotics necessitates the urgent identification of novel therapeutic targets and development of effective antimicrobial agents.
Materials and Methods
Using pan-genomic analysis of the core protein repertoire of K. pneumoniae, we applied a subtractive proteomics approach to uncover potential drug targets. This has led to the identification of CsgD as a promising candidate. Structural modelling and validation of CsgD were performed. A comprehensive virtual screening of 29,384 natural compounds sourced from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) libraries was performed against CsgD, which yielded three candidates with low binding energies and desirable pharmacodynamic profiles, as validated by Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, and Toxicity (ADMET) prediction.100-nanosecond molecular dynamics simulations were performed to further substantiate their efficacy.
Results
Through a rigorous virtual screening process using the TCM database, we identified three compounds with potential antibacterial activity against K. pneumoniae. In particular, mydriatin stands out as a potent CsgD inhibitor, demonstrating a significant inhibitory effect on antibiotic-resistant strains of K. pneumoniae in vitro antibacterial activity evaluation.
Conclusion
This study identified mydriatin as a potential therapeutic agent targeting CsgD in K. pneumoniae, offering a promising strategy for the development of novel antimicrobials to combat drug-resistant infections caused by this pathogen. Our results highlight the importance of using natural product libraries and computational methods in the discovery and rational design of novel antibiotics to address the pressing challenges posed by multidrug resistance in K. pneumoniae.