Strong Synergy between a Eukaryotic Antimicrobial Peptide and Bacteriocins from Lactic Acid Bacteria

Abstract

The antimicrobial effect obtained upon combining the prokaryotic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs; more commonly referred to as bacteriocins) pediocin PA-1, sakacin P, and curvacin A (all produced by lactic acid bacteria [LAB]) with the eukaryotic AMP pleurocidin (from fish) has been investigated. The three LAB AMPs alone were active against gram-positive Listeria ivanovii bacteria at nanomolar concentrations, whereas they were inactive against gram-negative Escherichia coli bacteria. Pleurocidin alone was active against both of these types of bacteria at micromolar concentrations. Little if any synergy between the LAB AMPs and pleurocidin against the gram-positive L. ivanovii strain was obtained. In contrast, the LAB AMPs and pleurocidin acted highly synergistically against the gram-negative E. coli strain. Nanomolar concentrations of LAB AMPs increased the growth inhibitory potency of pleurocidin by about fourfold. When micromolar concentrations of LAB AMPs were combined with 2 g of pleurocidin/ml, 100% growth inhibition was attained, whereas pleurocidin alone at a concentration of 2 g/ml gave no growth inhibition. Most noteworthy, when high concentrations (128 g/ml) of pleurocidin in the absence of LAB AMPs were used over a long period of incubation (1 week), some growth of E. coli was observed, whereas 16 g of pleurocidin/ml completely abolished growth in the presence of 64 to 128 ng of LAB AMPs/ml over the same period of time. The results clearly demonstrate that combining eukaryotic and prokaryotic AMPs can greatly increase the specific activity and broaden the target-cell range of these peptides.

Enhancing the Microbiological Stability of Malt and Beer - A Review

“…Bacteriocins can act synergistically with each other or with other antimicrobial peptides in a particular environment 121 . This could give rise to combined applications, to overcome bacteriocin limitations at certain stages of the process.…”

Lactic acid bacteria and their metabolites – potential biopreservatives in fish and seafood

“…Dodanie bakteryjnych bakteriocyn w nanomolarnych stężeniach zwiększało czterokrotnie przeciwbakteryjne działanie pleurocydyny, natomiast w stężeniach mikromolarnych całkowicie hamowało wzrost E. coli. Badania te wyraźnie pokazują, że istnieje synergistyczne działanie bakteriocyn pochodzenia prokariotycznego i eukariotycznego wobec bakterii (Lüders i in., 2003).…”

Bacteriocins of Aquatic Microorganisms and Their Potential Applications in the Seafood Industry

“…Bacteriocins have a long history of use in dairy or meat applications and there is an increasing number of studies on the effect of bacteriocins as antimicrobials in the seafood industry (Table 5) (Aasen et al, 2003;Al-Holy et al, 2004;Budu-Amoako et al, 1999;Einarsson & Lauzon, 1995;Elotmani & Assobhei, 2004;Luders et al, 2003;Neetoo et al, 2008;Nilsson et al, 1997;Nykanen et al, 2000;Szabo &Cahill, 1999;Tahiri et al, 2009;Tsironi & Taoukis, 2010;Zuckerman & Ben Avraham, 2002). These studies have focused largely on the effects of nisin, a Gram-positive bacteriocin that has been generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA.…”

“…For example, bacteriocins can be impregnated into gel coatings and/or polyethylene films and can be applied to seafood during packaging (Neetoo et al, 2008). The application of bacteriocins on packaged seafood is steadily being seen as a very promising biopreservation method (Aasen et al, 2003;Al-Holy et al, 2004;Budu-Amoako et al, 1999;Einarsson & Lauzon, 1995;Elotmani & Assobhei, 2004;Luders et al, 2003;Neetoo et al, 2008;Nilsson et al, 1997;Nykanen et al, 2000;Szabo &Cahill, 1999;Tahiri et al, 2009;Tsironi & Taoukis, 2010;Zuckerman & Ben Avraham, 2002). In fact, immobilization of bacteriocins on coating materials for biopreservation may actually reduce the cost of packaging due to the reduced amount and cost of the antibacterial needed to attach to the film (Galvez et al, 2008).…”