N-3-oxo-dodecanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C12-HSL) is one of the acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) molecules frequently identified in extracts of respiratory secretions from cystic fibrosis patients infected with P. aeruginosa and/or strains of the B. cepacia complex. It is involved in the activation of transcription factors NF-κB and AP-2, which in turn induce interleukin-8 production in human lung fibroblasts and epithelial cells, possibly contributing to the neutrophil infiltration and inflammation found in P. aeruginosa infections. N-3-oxo-dodecanoyl-L-Homoserine lactone may work to fight bacterial infection by quenching quorum sensing, a regulatory system used by bacterium to control gene expression in response to increasing cell density.
