Tackling multiple antibiotic resistance in enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) clinical isolates: a diarylheptanoid from Alpinia officinarum shows promising antibacterial and immunomodulatory activity against EPEC and its lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation.

Antibiotic treatment for infectious diseases commonly leads to host inflammatory responses. Molecules with bifunctional antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties could provide a solution for such clinical manifestations. Here we report such bifunctional activity for a diarylheptanoid (5-hydroxy-7-(4''-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1-phenyl-3-heptanone) isolated from Alpinia officinarum, a medicinal plant belonging to the Zingiberaceae family, against enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC). The diarylheptanoid showed inhibitory and bactericidal activity against EPEC clinical isolates and efficiently suppressed EPEC lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In silico docking analysis revealed that the diarylheptanoid could interact with subunit A of E. coli DNA gyrase. Such molecules with bifunctional activity may be potential therapeutics for infectious diseases.