Subinhibitory concentrations of phloretin repress the virulence of Salmonella typhimurium and protect against Salmonella typhimurium infection

Phloretin, a natural component of many fruits, exhibits anti-virulence effects and provides a new alternative to counter bacterial infection. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of subinhibitory concentrations of phloretin on the virulence of Salmonella typhimurium. At concentrations where growth of Salmonella was not inhibited, phloretin significantly inhibited bacteria biofilm formation and motility. Subinhibitory concentrations of phloretin repressed eight genes involved in the Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 and 3 genes involved in flagella production. Furthermore, subinhibitory concentrations of phloretin inhibited the adhesion and invasion of Salmonella in IEC-6 cells and reduced the LDH levels of S. typhimurium-infected IEC-6 cells. Additionally, phloretin significantly decreased the cecum bacterial loads of the mice infected with live S. typhimurium containing subinhibitory concentrations of phloretin by gavage. These results suggested that subinhibitory concentrations of phloretin attenuate the virulence of S. typhimurium and protect against S. typhimurium infection.