Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Multiple Pathways of Lobelia chinensis in Inhibiting Streptococcus pyogenes

Abstract

Clinically, Lobelia chinensis has the potential to treat Streptococcus pyogenes (GAS) infections. This study demonstrated that Lobelia chinensis and penicillin have comparative inhibitory effects when their concentration was 12 mg/mL. To uncover the possible pathways of inhibition of GAS by Lobelia chinensis , transcriptome analysis was used to explore significantly changed genes when GAS was cultured under Lobelia chinensi. Lobelia chinensis could induce alterations of 366 genes in expression level, mainly involving biosynthesis process, translation, cytoplasm, and lipid, carbohydrate metabolic process. In addition, penicillin only induced 17 genes alteration and no GO/KEGG pathway enrichment. Therefore, Lobelia chinensis showed more modes of regulating GAS than penicillin. The regulatory modes of Lobelia chinensis may be the inhibition of cell replication and growth of GAS. This study indicated that Lobelia chinens is a potential drug for the treatment of GAS infection due to its considerable inhibition effects and multiple inhibition modes.