Bacteriocin-Like Inhibitory Substances from Probiotics as Therapeutic Agents for <i>Candida</i> Vulvovaginitis

oleh: Enas Mamdouh Hefzy, Mahmoud A. F. Khalil, Amal A. Ibrahim Amin, Hossam M. Ashour, Yasser Fathy Abdelaliem

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-03-01

Deskripsi

Probiotics can potentially prevent and treat diseases. We examined the inhibitory activity of bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances (BLISs) from potentially probiotic lactobacilli and streptococci on <i>Candida albicans</i> and non-<i>Candida albicans</i> clinical isolates from women with vulvovaginitis. Using agar well diffusion assays, BLISs inhibited both <i>Candida albicans</i> and non-<i>Candida albicans</i> isolates. The BLIS from <i>L. pentosus</i> isolates had the highest anti-<i>Candida</i> activity (33/45; 73.3%), followed by BLISs from isolates of <i>L. paracasei</i> subsp. <i>paracasei</i> (31/45; 68.9%), <i>L. rhamnosus I</i> (30/45; 66.7%)<i>, L. delbrueckii</i> subsp. <i>lactis I</i> (30/45; 66.7%), and <i>S. uberis II</i> (30/45; 66.7%). Upon characterization according to the retained activity under variable physical and chemical conditions, the BLISs showed stability against heat, pH, and surfactants, but were protease-sensitive, which suggests a proteinaceous nature of the active substances. Using crystal violet assays, the BLISs reduced the <i>Candida</i> biofilm biomass significantly as compared to a control group that lacked BLISs. In vivo testing of the antagonistic activity was performed using the <i>Galleria mellonella</i> (<i>G. mellonella</i>) larvae model. BLISs significantly improved survival in <i>G. mellonella</i> larvae treated with <i>Candida</i> isolates on the first, second, and seventh days, as compared to larvae inoculated with <i>Candida</i> only (<i>p</i> < 0.01). The results show that BLISs can be used as biotherapeutic agents in vulvovaginal candidiasis.