Amentoflavone Attenuates Gas Gangrene by Targeting Alpha-Toxin and Perfringolysin O.

() type A strains are the main cause of gas gangrene in humans and animals. Treatment of this lethal disease is limited, and the prognosis is not good. Alpha-toxin (CPA) and perfringolysin O (PFO) secreted by play irreplaceable roles in cytotoxicity to host cells, persistence in host tissues, and lethality of gas gangrene pathology. This work determined the influence of amentoflavone, a biflavonoid isolated from and other plants, on hemolysis and cytotoxicity mediated by CPA and PFO and evaluated the therapeutic effect on gas gangrene. Our data showed that amentoflavone could block the hemolysis and cytotoxicity induced by CPA and PFO , thereby mediating significant protection against mortality of infected mice in a mouse gas gangrene model, efficient bacterial clearance in tissues and alleviation of histological damage . Based on the above results, amentoflavone may be a potential candidate against infection by reducing CPA and PFO-mediated virulence.