Antibacterial effect of vitamin C against uropathogenic E. coli in vitro and in vivo

Abstract

Background Resistance to antibiotics has increased steadily over time, thus there is a pressing need for safer alternatives to antibiotics. Current study aims to evaluate the influence of vitamin C as an antibacterial and anti-biofilm agent against uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) strains. The expression of beta-lactamases and biofilm encoding genes among E. coli isolates before and after treating the isolates with sub MIC of vitamin C was analyzed by Real-time PCR. The in vivo assessment of the antibacterial and anti-biofilm effects of vitamin C against uropathogenic E. coli strains was done using a urinary tract infection (UTI) rat model. Results The effective concentration of vitamin C that could inhibit the growth of most study isolates (70%) was 1.25 mg/ml. Vitamin C showed a synergistic effect with most of the studied antibiotics; no antagonistic effect was detected at all. Vitamin C showed an excellent anti-biofilm effect against studied isolates, where 43 biofilm-producing isolates were converted to non-biofilm at a concentration of 0.312 mg/ml. The expression levels of most studied genes were down-regulated after treatment of E. coli isolates with vitamin C. In vivo assessment of vitamin C in treating UTIs showed that vitamin C has a rapid curative effect as the comparable antibiotic. Administration of both vitamin C and nitrofurantoin at a lower dose for treatment of UTI in rats had a better effect. Conclusion Vitamin C as an antibacterial and anti-biofilm agent either alone or in combination with antibiotics could markedly improve UTI in experimental rats.

L-Ascorbic Acid Restricts Vibrio cholerae Survival in Various Growth Conditions

“…Our results clearly indicated that L-ascorbic acid at concentrations as low as 2.5 mg/mL is highly toxic to the pathogen ( Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 ). This result is in accordance with the effects of L-AA shown previously on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and uropathogenic E. coli [ 43 , 44 ]. It is noteworthy to mention that alkaline pH not only favors the growth of Vibrio cholerae but also increases its mucus penetrability [ 45 ].…”

Biodegradable Packaging Based on Poly(vinyl Alcohol) and Carboxymethyl Cellulose Films Incorporated with Ascorbic Acid for Food Packaging Applications

“…AA plays a key role in eradicating biofilms and creates an environment unsuitable for bacteria to grow by lowering the pH of the environment. Moreover, its antiquorum sensing activity plays a major role in inhibiting the growth of bacteria as its antiquorum sensing activity disrupts the communication of bacteria, which inhibits expression of its virulence factors, hence reducing the ability of bacteria to cause infections. ,− AA is a suitable choice to induce antibacterial properties compared to the metallic ions owing to different mechanism (lowering of pH in case of AA and penetration of reactive oxygen species in case of metallic ions) to eradicate the bacteria from the food packaging films.…”

Cycle Biodynamics of Women’s Microbiome in the Urinary and Reproductive Systems

“…The exploration and investigation of alternative immunomodulatory therapies, such as cranberry extract (which increases the Tamm–Horsfall glycoprotein to inhibit bacterial adhesion) [ 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 ], vitamin C and anthocyanins (which inhibit reactive oxygen species production to prevent urinary infections) [ 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 ], dietary restriction of iron, and lactoferrin supplementation (which reduces bacterial density in the urinary tract, particularly in cases with siderophore characteristics) [ 68 , 69 ], and subcutaneous insulin injections in diabetic patients (to promote the secretion of RNase 7, RNase4, and lipocalin-2 to prevent cystitis) [ 70 , 71 ], as well as vaccines [ 72 , 73 ] and probiotics [ 52 ], present promising avenues for future medical advancements. However, studies that investigated the use of immunomodulatory therapies as alternatives to antibiotics currently lack clinical significance, leading to a debate on the use and applications of these therapies.…”