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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Dairy and Functional Foods Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #398221
Research Project: Reclaiming Value from Coproducts of Dairy Food Manufacture

Location: Dairy and Functional Foods Research

Title: Antimicrobial activity of thermophilin 110 against the opportunistic pathogen Cutibacterium acnes

Author
item Renye, John
item MENDEZ ENCINAS, MAYRA - Universidad De Sonora
item White, Andre
item Miller, Amanda
item McAnulty, Michael
item Yadav, Madhav
item Hotchkiss, Arland
item Guron, Giselle
item Oest, Adam
item MARTINEZ, KARLA - Center For Research In Food And Development (CIAD)
item CARVAJAL-MILLAN, ELIZABETH - Center For Research In Food And Development (CIAD)

Submitted to: Biotechnology Letters
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/19/2023
Publication Date: 8/22/2023
Citation: Renye Jr, J.A., Mendez Encinas, M.A., White, A.K., Miller, A.L., Mcanulty, M.J., Yadav, M.P., Hotchkiss, A.T., Guron, G.P., Oest, A.M., Martinez, K.G., Carvajal-Millan, E. 2023. Antimicrobial activity of thermophilin 110 against the opportunistic pathogen Cutibacterium acnes. Biotechnology Letters. 45:1365-1379. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-023-03419-2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-023-03419-2

Interpretive Summary: Acne continues to be one the most prevalent skin disorders worldwide in adolescents. Treatment of this skin bacterial infection is becoming more difficult with the growing number of antibiotic resistant bacteria, thus there is need for additional antimicrobial compounds. Reseachers in Wyndmoor, PA in collaboration with reseachers in Mexico, demonstrated that a small ARS-patented protein produced by a yogurt culture bacterium could prevent the growth and ultimately kill acne-causing bacteria. Additionally, this antimicrobial protein was shown to prevent the formation of bacterial films associated with acne infections. Finally, we demonstrated the potential for using a gel produced from a cereal grain carbohydrate to encapsulate the antimicrobial protein and the yogurt bacterium. Results from this study demonstrated the potential for using our antimicrobial protein as a treatment for acne; and suggested that the gels, could deliver a beneficial bacterium for inhibiting acne.

Technical Abstract: Cutibacterium acnes is a commensal skin bacterium associated with the inflammatory disease acne vulgaris, as well as invasive deep tissue and implant-associated infections. This study demonstrated the potential for thermophilin 110, a bacteriocin produced by Streptococcus thermophilus B59671, to inhibit planktonic growth and biofilm formation of C. acnes at a concentration = 160 AU ml-1. Thermophilin 110 concentrations = 320 AU ml-1 resulted in a 4 Log CFU reduction in viable planktonic cells and significantly reduced the biomass from an established C. acnes biofilm. Although arabinoxylan (AX) and sodium alginate (SA) hydrogels were shown to encapsulate thermophilin 110, the encapsulated thermophilin 110 was unable to inhibit the growth of C. acnes. As currently formulated, the hydrogels were able to encapsulate S. thermophilus B59671, with zones of C. acnes inhibition observed around intact SA gels, or S. thermophilus colonies that appeared to originate from AX gels. Results from this study demonstrated the potential for thermophilin 110 to serve as an antimicrobial for treatment of C. acnes infections and supports the need for additional studies to evaluate the probiotic potential of S. thermophilus B59671 for preventing opportunistic human infections.