In Silico Study to Discover the Possible Mechanism of Herbal Components Against the SOS Induction and Mutagenesis

Abstract

Background: Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria evolve and develop the ability to withstand the effects of medications that once effectively treated infections caused by them. One strategy to combat antibiotic resistance is identifying protein networks relevant to pathogenesis and ligands that interact with those proteins. The SOS network is a protein network that causes resistance to several antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the interaction of known herbal components with antibacterial activity against the SOS network. Methods: Google Scholar and PubMed search engines were used to select bioactives with antibacterial activities. The STRING database was applied to retrieve the RecA network and to gain SOS protein interactions. The LPIcom module, Enrichr dataset, and Cytoscape software version 3.10.2 were used to predict target-ligand interactions, identify relevant proteins, and generate the network, respectively. Results: Network analysis showed interactions between bioactives and SOS proteins. Camphor and myristic acid interacted with all targets. RecA, LexA, UmuC, and RecN interacted with all bioactives. The CLPP, HGS, and RPSE proteins were possibly associated with four SOS proteins, including RecA, RecN, LexA, and UmuD proteins (P-value < 0.05). Conclusions: For the first time, network pharmacology was used to predict anti-SOS herbal bioactives. This in-silico investigation recommended two bioactives, camphor and myristic acid, for further study to develop ciprofloxacin adjuvants and proposed an antibacterial mechanism for these known bioactives.