Dimethyl fumarate alleviates Staphylococcus pseudintermedius-induced cell damage by inhibiting pyroptosis and bacterial virulence

The resistance of pathogenic bacteria to various clinical antibiotics is the major problem in treating bacterial keratitis. Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) has good anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory effects in fungal keratitis, but its effect on bacterial keratitis is unclear. This study aims to investigate DMF's anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. The pyroptosis model was constructed by intracellular infection of canine corneal epithelial cells (CCECs) with Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (S. pseudintermedius), and 200 μM DMF was added to explore its function. Western blot, ELISA, immunostaining, flow cytometry, qRT-PCR, and bacterial counts were used to examine the expression of the NLRP3-GSDMD signaling pathway, virulence genes, and oxidant mediators. 111 clinical keratitis isolates or S. pseudintermedius were treated with different concentrations of DMF to detect bacterial growth and biofilm formation. Adding DMF resulted in the inhibition of the NLRP3-GSDMD pathway while activating the NRF2 pathway. This led to a decrease in pyroptosis rate, intracellular bacteria count, and ROS content. Additionally, DMF blocked the mRNA expression of virulence genes ebpS, hlgB, siet, lukS-I, PVL, icaA, icaD, spsD, and spsL associated with S. pseudintermedius infection. Furthermore, DMF demonstrated concentration-dependent inhibition of the growth of clinical isolates and the formation of S. pseudintermedius biofilm. In conclusion, our results indicate that DMF can inhibit pyroptosis and the growth of various clinical isolates, making it a novel ophthalmic drug with anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. •DMF has broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against common clinical corneal ulcer pathogens.•DMF can inhibit the expression of the virulence factor of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius.•DMF is a new clinical drug for the treatment of bacterial keratitis.