Inhibition of adhesion of enteropathogens to human enterocyte-like HT29 cell line by a dairy strain of Propionibacterium acidipropionici

G. ZÁRATE, J. VILLENA; M.E. ZÚÑIGA-HANSEN AND A. PÉREZ CHAIA

Oviedo

Simposio; 3rd International Symposium on Propionibacteria and Bifidobacteria : Dairy and Probiotic Applications; 2010

Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias-CSIC

Inhibition of adhesion of enteropathogens to human enterocyte-like HT29 cell line by a dairy strain of Propionibacterium acidipropionici Gabriela Zárate; Juan Villena; María Elvira Zúñiga-Hansen and Adriana Pérez-Chaia Adhesion to the host gastrointestinal tract is considered an important factor in the health promoting effects of probiotics and is taken as a selection criterium of strains for probiotic purposes Classical propionibacteria are microorganisms of interest for their role as starters in cheese technology as well as for their functions as probiotics. Propionibacterium acidipropionici Q4, a dairy strain isolated from a Swiss-type cheese made in Argentina, has probiotic potential as it resists the adverse conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, possess high b-galactosidase activity and adheres to intestinal epithelial cells of mice. In the present work we assessed the adhesion of this strain and its ability to prevent the adhesion of two enteropathogens such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteritidis to the human enterocyte-like HT29 cell line, The results were compared with those obtained with the well-known probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. The inhibitory effect of probiotics on the adherence of pathogens was determined under a protocol of preincubation of intestinal cells with probiotics. All microorganisms were added at a concentration of 108 CFU/mL to post-confluent HT29 cells seeded into 24-well tissue culture plates and bacterial adhesion plus invasion of epithelial cells were assessed by counting CFU on selective agars after lysis of the monolayers. P. acidipropionici Q4 adhered to HT 29 cells in the same range as that of the reference strain LGG  (40-50%) whereas adhesion of enteropathogens was significantly lower (23-31%). Propionibacteria inhibited in the same level than lactobacilli;  the adherence of  S .enteritidis (82% and 87% respectively) and in a lesser extent adhesion of E. coli (30% and 86.4% by LGG). This finding suggests that P. acidipropionici Q4 could be considered as candidate for the development of new functional foods helpful in counteracting enteropathogens infection.