IBUPROFEN SUPPRESSES THE EXPRESSION OF EXOS SECRETED BY PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA TYPE III SECRETION SYSTEM IN VITRO

Jing Cao^1#, Zhiting Xie^1#, Yuyao Zhang¹, Xiuying Shi¹, Yiting Han¹, Shaopeng Chu¹, Shaoqing Ju¹, Juan Yu^1,2*

1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China - ²Insitute of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China

Introduction: Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes acute and chronic infections in immunocompromised patients and is highly resistant to drugs. Type III secretion system is an important pathogenic mechanism of pseudomonas aeruginosa, of which the virulence protein is ExoS. Ibuprofen can inhibit pseudomonas aeruginosa. 

Materials and methods: We hypothesized that ibuprofen could attenuate the virulence of pseudomonas aeruginosa by inhibiting Type III secretion system. One hundred and eight pseudomonas aeruginosa strains were collected from the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University and were analyzed using VITEK® 2 Compact system. The Type III secretion system genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction. Molecular docking effect of ibuprofen with the proteins was investigated using Autodook. 

Results: The exoS gene has been found in clinical isolates with high carriage rate and is widely distributed in various species of multiple departments. The carriage rate of the exoS gene was high in the multiple-drug resistant pseudomonas aeruginosa. Ibuprofen inhibited the growth of Type III secretion system positive strains and suppressed the expression of ExsA and ExoS. ExoS, ExoT, ExoY, ExsD and ExsA were bound with ibuprofen to a high extent. 

Conclusions: T3SS can serve as a therapeutic target of pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the inhibition effect of ibuprofen on it provides new prospects for clinical application.