Abstract
C. perfringens is a zoonotic pathogen that causes NE, enterotoxemia, food poisoning and gas gangrene in animals and humans and thus seriously endangers public safety and the development of animal husbandry. Overcoming this health risk requires new approaches for antibiotic discovery and the screening of unique bacterial targets. In this work, we identified an active natural compound inhibitor targeting C. perfringens TFP. Based on the TFP-mediated gliding motility phenotype, we screened of numerous natural compounds and identified galangin as a nonantibacterial compound that inhibits C. perfringens cell adhesion and other functions. Galangin inhibits the formation of TFP by reducing the transcription of related genes, such as pilA, pilC, pilT, and pilM, disrupting the pathogenicity of C. perfringens mediated by TFP. The cell adhesion test and broiler model showed that galangin significantly inhibited C. perfringensvirulence in vivo and in vitro and exerted a comprehensive protective effect on infected broilers. Inhibition of TFP function is an effective strategy for the development of drugs targeting C. perfringensinfection. Our evidence proves that galangin can inhibit C. perfringensTFP in vivo and in vitro.