Abstract
Clostridium perfringens forms biofilms and spores that are a source of food contamination. In this study, the antibacterial activities of Lactobacillus plantarum culture supernatants (LP-S), LP-S fractions, and the plant-derived compound epigallocatechin gallate (EG) were evaluated. Specifically, their effects on the viability and biofilm-forming ability of C. perfringens were assessed. Moreover, the expression of quorum sensing-regulated genes associated with the pathogenesis of this microorganism and that of genes involved in biofilm formation was also investigated. The results showed that both EG and the LP-S exerted bactericidal activity against all C. perfringens strains tested. The minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of EG was 75 µg/mL for all strains but ranged from 61 to 121 µg of total protein per mL for LP-S. EG exerted only minor effects on biofilm formation, whereas LP-S, particularly its 10 and 30 K fractions, significantly reduced the biofilm-forming ability of all the strains. The antibiofilm activity of LP-S was lost following preincubation with proteases, suggesting that it was mediated by a proteinaceous molecule. The treatment of C. perfringens with either EG or LP-S did not change the transcript levels of two CpAL (C. perfringens quorum–sensing Agr-like system)-related genes, agrB and agrD, which are known to be involved in the regulation of biofilms, suggesting that LP-S exerted its biofilm inhibitory activity downstream of CpAL signaling. In summary, we demonstrated the bactericidal activity of EG and LP-S against C. perfringens and antibiofilm activity of LP-S at a subinhibitory dose. Our results suggested that these compounds can be further explored for food safety applications to control agents such as C. perfringens.
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The authors inform that a stock of the Lactobacillus plantarum strain is also stored at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and that it could be available to members of the scientific community for noncommercial purposes.
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Funding
This study was supported by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología de Mexico (CONACYT), grant # 213333. CONACYT also granted a scholarship to Alberto Aguayo-Acosta.
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Aguayo-Acosta, A., Franco-Frías, E., Heredia, N. et al. Epigallocatechin gallate and Lactobacillus plantarum culture supernatants exert bactericidal activity and reduce biofilm formation in Clostridium perfringens. Folia Microbiol 66, 843–853 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-021-00891-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-021-00891-z