Sae Hun Kim

Effects of Lactobacillus strains on cancer cell proliferation and oxidative stress in vitro

Aims:  The objective of this study was to assess in vitro, whether heat‐killed (HK) lactic acid bacteria cells and fractionations of HK cells could suppress the viability of human cancer cells and inhibit the cytotoxicity associated with oxidative stress.

Released exopolysaccharide (r-EPS) produced from probiotic bacteria reduce biofilm formation of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7

Here, we characterized released-exopolysaccharides (r-EPS) from Lactobacillus acidophilus A4 with the goal of identifying natural compounds that represses biofilm formation. In plastic 96-well microplates that contained 1.0 mg/ml of r-EPS, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) biofilms were dramatically decreased by 87% and 94% on polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) surfaces, respectively. In the presence of r-EPS, neither their growth rate nor their autoinducer-2-like activity was affected on the EHEC O157:H7. Importantly, consistent reduction in biofilm formation was also observed when r-EPS was applied to the continuous-flow chamber models. In addition, we found that adding r-EPS significantly repressed biofilm formation by affecting genes related to curli production (crl, csgA, and csgB) and chemotaxis (cheY) in transcriptome analysis. Furthermore, these r-EPS could prevent biofilm formation by a wide range of Gram-negative and -positive pathogens. This property may lead to the development of novel food-grade adjuncts for microbial biofilm control.

Evaluation of probiotic characteristics of newly isolated Lactobacillus spp.: Immune modulation and longevity

In the current study, the probiotic potential of approximately 350 strains of lactic acid bacteria isolated from Korean infant feces and Kimchi was investigated. Common probiotic properties of the bacterial strains, such as acid tolerance, bile tolerance and adhesion to human intestinal epithelial cells (HT-29 cells), were examined. Some strains were found to have immune modulatory and antimicrobial properties. Antagonistic activity against a panel of pathogenic bacteria was found to be strain dependent. To evaluate the immune modulatory activity of the strains, lymphocyte interferon (IFN)-γ secretion was determined in conjunction with cell proliferation. Some strains of Lactobacillus gasseri, L. fermentum and L. plantarum exhibited increased IFN-γ levels and lymphocyte proliferation. To evaluate the effects of these immune modulating lactobacilli on host life span, Caenorhabditis elegans was used as an in vivo model. Nematodes that were supplied heat-killed lactobacilli as a food source exhibited obvious differences in life span compared with those fed Escherichia coli OP50. The mean life span (determined as mean percent survival) of worms fed L. plantarum CJLP133 and L. fermentum LA12 was 13.89% and 13.69% greater, respectively, than that of control nematodes after 21 days (P=0.036 and 0.043, respectively). In addition, some of safety profiles, including hemolytic type, gelatin hydration and degradation of urea, were found to be positive. These newly identified lactobacilli hold promise for use as probiotic agents, feed additives and/or in food applications.

Cell-bound exopolysaccharide from probiotic bacteria induces autophagic cell death of tumour cells

Aim:  Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are beneficial micro‐organisms that have been associated with several probiotic effects in both humans and animals. Here, using proteome analysis, we investigate the antitumour effects of cell‐bound exopolysaccharides (cb‐EPS) isolated from Lactobacillus acidophilus 606 on colon cancer cells and explore the proteins critical for their antitumour activity.

Antipathogenic properties of green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate at concentrations below the MIC against enterohemorrhagic escherichia coli O157: H7

The inhibitory effects of green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on virulence phenotypes and gene expression regulated by quorum sensing (QS) in Escherichia coli O157:H7 were demonstrated at concentrations of 1 to 100 microg/ml, which are lower than the MIC (539 +/- 22 microg/ml). At 25 microg/ml, the growth rate was not affected, but autoinducer 2 concentration, biofilm formation, and swarm motility decreased to 13.2, 11.8, and 50%, respectively. Survival at 5 days of nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans) that were fed the pathogen without and with EGCG were 47.1 and 76%, respectively. Real-time PCR data indicated decreased transcriptional level in many quorum sensing-regulated virulence genes at 25 microg/ml. Our results suggest that EGCG at concentrations below itsMIC has significant antipathogenic effects against E. coli O157:H7.

Effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus 43121 and a Mixture of Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium longum on the Serum Cholesterol Level and Fecal Sterol Excretion in Hypercholesterolemia-Induced Pigs

The hypocholesterolemic effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus 43121 (43121) and a mixture of Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium longum (MIX) were studied in hypercholesterolemia-induced pigs. Serum total cholesterol was decreased by supplementation of either 43121 or MIX, although, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was not changed. The hypocholesterolemic effect of 43121 and MIX was mainly due to bile acid dehydroxylation, this effect being supplementation-time dependent.

Characterization of the Cholesterol-Reducing Activity in a Cell-Free Supernatant of Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 43121

This study characterizes the factors responsible for the cholesterol reduction by Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 43121. In addition, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and protein profiling was also used to study the response of ATCC 43121 at the proteome level in the presence of cholesterol. The results show that the cell-free supernatant (CFS) produced by ATCC 43121 in the presence of bile salts could also reduce the cholesterol in the broth, whereas all previous reports have suggested a mechanism by live cells. The active fraction was partially purified by 60% ammonium sulfate precipitation, and subsequent Sephacryl S-100 column chromatography. The molecular weight of the component with cholesterol-reducing activity was estimated to be approximately 12 kDa by SDS–PAGE. These results suggest that the novel protein isolated from CFS may be an important factor in the mechanism for cholesterol reduction by ATCC 43121. In addition, the proteins expressed by ATCC 43121 in the presence of cholesterol micelles were detected by 2-DE, five protein spots with at least a 2.5-fold increase in amounts being identified. The responsible proteins may be involved in the stress-response, translation, and metabolic processes. These results may suggest a new possibility for the mechanism underlying cholesterol reduction by lactic acid bacteria (LAB), differing from the conclusions of previous reports.

Development of sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of Cronobacter muytjensii (formerly called Enterobacter sakazakii)

This study aimed to produce a polyclonal antibody against Cronobacter muytjensii (C. muytjensii, formerly called Enterobacter sakazakii) and to develop an immunoassay for its detection. The optimum production of rabbit anti‐C. muytjensii immunoglobulin G (IgG) and chicken anti‐C. muytjensii IgY was reached in weeks 8 and 9, respectively. Purification of rabbit anti‐C. muytjensii IgG from immunized rabbit sera was accomplished using the caprylic acid and ammonium sulfate precipitation method. As a result, sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis produced two bands around 25 and 50 kDa, corresponding to a light and a heavy chain, respectively. The optimized conditions for sandwich enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay were using rabbit anti‐C. muytjensii IgG (1 μg/mL) as a detection antibody and chicken anti‐C. muytjensii IgY (10 μg/mL) as a capture antibody. In this assay, no cross‐reactivity was observed with the other genera of pathogenic bacteria tested, which included Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus and Listeria monocytogenes. The developed assay did not show cross‐reactivity with other tested species of Cronobacter and Enterobacter genera such as C. turicensis, C. sakazakii, E. aerogenes, E. pulveris and E. helveticus. The detection limit of sandwich ELISA for C. muytjensii was found to be 2.0 × 104 colony forming units (CFU)/mL. In addition, detection of C. muytjensii in infant formula powder showed a low matrix effect on the detection curve of sandwich ELISA for C. muytjensii, the detection limit being found to be 6.3 × 104 CFU/mL. These findings demonstrate that the developed method is able to detect all strains of C. muytjensii. Hence, this ELISA technique has potent application for the rapid and accurate detection of C. muytjensii in dietary foods.

Genetic and Proteomic Analysis of Factors Affecting Serum Cholesterol Reduction by Lactobacillus acidophilus A4

ABSTRACT This article identifies novel factors involved in cholesterol reduction by probiotic bacteria, which were identified using genetic and proteomic approaches. Approximately 600 Lactobacillus acidophilus A4 mutants were created by random mutagenesis. The cholesterol-reducing ability of each mutant was determined and verified using two different methods: the o-phthalaldehyde assay and gas chromatographic analysis (GC). Among screened mutants, strain BA9 showed a dramatically diminished ability to reduce cholesterol, as demonstrated by a 7.7% reduction rate, while the parent strain had a more than 50% reduction rate. The transposon insertion site was mapped using inverse PCR (I-PCR), and it was determined using bioinformatic methods that the deleted region contained the Streptococcus thermophilus catabolite control protein A gene (ccpA). In addition, we have shown using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) that several proteins, including a transcription regulator, FMN-binding protein, major facilitator superfamily permease, glycogen phosphorylase, the YknV protein, and fructose/tagatose bisphosphate aldolase, were strongly regulated by the ccpA gene. In addition, in vivo experiments investigating ccpA function were conducted with rats. Rats fed wild-type L. acidophilus A4 showed a greater than 20% reduction in total serum cholesterol, but rats fed BA9 mutant L. acidophilus showed only an approximately 10% reduction in cholesterol. These results provide important insights into the mechanism by which these lactic acid bacteria reduce cholesterol.

Characteristics of yogurt-like products prepared from the combination of skim milk and soymilk containing saccharified-rice solution

Yogurt-like products were prepared from a combination of skim milk and soymilk (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100) containing saccharified-rice solution by lactic fermentation of four different cultures. The ratio of skim milk and soy milk had no significant effect on titratable acidity, while the type and nature of culture used for fermentation affected the titratable acidity. Lower syneresis was observed in soy-based yogurt, and both the hardness and springiness of curd increased as the proportion of soymilk in the substrate increased. Skim milk-based yogurt had higher resistance to shear force with higher yield stress. The sensory quality of yogurt produced from mixed culture had higher preference compared with that produced from a single culture (Streptococcus thermophilus). There was no significant difference in texture and overall acceptability among yogurts produced from mixed substrates and skim milk-based yogurt.