Fuente: PubMed "swarm" World J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2026 May 8;42(6):264. doi: 10.1007/s11274-026-04992-0.ABSTRACTVibrio anguillarum (V. anguillarum) causes vibriosis in aquaculture, with pathogenicity regulated by quorum sensing (QS). Inhibiting QS is a promising anti-virulence strategy. Plant-derived compounds are attractive due to their safety and low resistance potential. Here, we screened 33 natural compounds and found that esculetin, a coumarin, inhibited V. anguillarum with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 40 mg/L. At sub-inhibitory concentrations, esculetin effectively reduced biofilm formation and its key component extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) by 45.84% and 27.23%, respectively. Additionally, esculetin reduced bacterial swarming and swimming motility diameters by 6.67% and 25.76%, respectively, while partially suppressing extracellular protease and hemolytic activities. RT-qPCR (quantitative real-time PCR) analyses revealed that esculetin downregulated genes associated with the QS system (vanR, rpoN, vanT, and vanO) and virulence phenotypes (ompU, flaB, and hlyU). Molecular docking and dynamics simulations indicated that esculetin interacts with VanR and VanT proteins, with a stronger binding stability observed for VanT. In conclusion, esculetin acts as an effective QS inhibitor and shows potential as a novel candidate drug for controlling V. anguillarum infections, offering a new approach for the prevention and treatment of aquatic vibriosis.PMID:42101705 | DOI:10.1007/s11274-026-04992-0