Anti-adhesion activity of berries and berry juices against the serious pathogens Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Streptococcus suis

M. Toivanen; S. Pyykönen; J. Ïuricová; V. Loimaranta; S. Haataja; J. Finne; S. Lapinjoki; C. Tikkanen-Kaukanen

doi:10.1055/s-2007-986927

Planta Medica, Table of Contents

Anti-adhesion activity of berries and berry juices against the serious pathogens Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Streptococcus suis

M Toivanen ¹, S Pyykönen ¹, J Ïuricová ¹, V Loimaranta ², S Haataja ², J Finne ², S Lapinjoki ¹, C Tikkanen-Kaukanen ¹

¹Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Kuopio, P.O. Box 1627, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland
²Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, FI-20520 Turku, Finland

Abstract

Anti-adhesive compounds have potential in preventing bacterial infections by blocking bacterial attachment to host mucosal surfaces [1]. In the present study, interactions of the important human or animal pathogens Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Streptococcus suis were investigated with different berries or berry and fruit juice concentrates. The studied material was bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus), lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus), crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), apple (Malus domestica), blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum), pineapple (Ananas comosus), raspberry (Rubus idaeus), red grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), sour cherry (Prunus cerasus) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).

Berries and juices were fractionated according to their molecular size into three different fractions (<10 kDa, 10–100 kDa, >100 kDa) by using centrifugal filter devices. A microtiter well assay for the binding of N. meningitidis pili was employed [2] and binding assay for S. pneumoniae and S. agalactiae bacterial cells was constructed. Adhesion inhibition of N. meningitidis pili to human epithelial cell line (HEC-1B) and hemagglutination inhibition of S. suis cells [3] was examined by employing selected berry and fruit material as inhibitors.

Meningococcal pili, S. pneumoniae and S. agalactiae bacterial cells bound most effectively to the fractions prepared from Vaccinium berries. Bilberry, cranberry, lingonberry, crowberry and blackcurrant juice fractions of 10–100 kDa inhibited binding of N. meningitidis pili to HEC-1B cells in a dot binding assay. Hemagglutination induced by S. suis was effectively inhibited by cranberry. The results identify several previously unknown berry sources having inhibitory activity against the adhesion of bacterial pathogens.

Acknowledgements: Kiantama Ltd, VIP-Juicemaker Ltd, Xavier Nassif

References: [1] Ofek, I., Hasty, D.L. et al. (2003) FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol 38: 181–91. [2] Hakkarainen J., Toivanen M. et al. (2005) J Nutr 135: 2445–8. [3] Tikkanen, K., Haataja, S. et al. (1995) JBC 270: 28874–8.