Acetylshikonin reduces the spread of antibiotic resistance via plasmid conjugation

The plasmid-mediated conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) stands out as the primary driver behind the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Developing effective inhibitors that target conjugative transfer represents an efficient strategy for addressing the issue of AMR. Here, we studied the effect of acetylshikonin (ASK), a botanical derivative, on plasmid conjugation. The conjugative transfer of RP4-7 plasmid inter and intra species was notably reduced by ASK. The conjugation process of IncI2 and IncX4 plasmids harboring the mobile colistin resistance gene (mcr-1), IncX4 and IncX3 plasmids containing the carbapenem resistance gene (bla