Background Lactobacillus species produce biosurfactants that can contribute to the bacteria’s ability to prevent microbial infections associated with urogenital and gastrointestinal tracts and the skin. Here, we described the biological and physicochemical properties of biosurfactants produced by Lactobacillus jensenii P6A and Lactobacillus gasseri P65.ResultsThe biosurfactants produced by L. jensenii P6A and L. gasseri P65 reduced the water surface tension from 72 to 43.2 mN m−1 and 42.5 mN m−1 as their concentration increased up to the critical micelle concentration (CMC) values of 7.1 and 8.58 mg mL−1, respectively. Maximum emulsifying activity was obtained at concentrations of 1 and 5 mg mL−1 for the P6A and P65 strains, respectively. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy data revealed that the biomolecules consist of a mixture of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. The gas chromatography-mass spectrum analysis of L. jensenii P6A biosurfactant showed a major peak for 14-methypentadecanoic acid, which was the main fatty acid present in the biomolecule; conversely, eicosanoic acid dominated the biosurfactant produced by L. gasseri P65. Although both biosurfactants contain different percentages of the sugars galactose, glucose and ribose; rhamnose was only detected in the biomolecule produced by L. jensenii P6A. Emulsifying activities were stable after a 60-min incubation at 100 °C, at pH 2–10, and after the addition of potassium chloride and sodium bicarbonate, but not in the presence of sodium chloride. The biomolecules showed antimicrobial activity against clinical isolates of Escherichia coli and Candida albicans, with MIC values of 16 µg mL−1, and against Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Enterobacter aerogenes and Klebsiella pneumoniae at 128 µg mL−1. The biosurfactants also disrupted preformed biofilms of microorganisms at varying concentrations, being more efficient against E. aerogenes (64%) (P6A biosurfactant), and E. coli (46.4%) and S. saprophyticus (39%) (P65 biosurfactant). Both strains of lactobacilli could also co-aggregate pathogens.ConclusionsThis report presents the first characterization of biosurfactants produced by L. jensenii P6A and L. gasseri P65. The antimicrobial properties and stability of these biomolecules indicate their potential use as alternative antimicrobial agents in the medical field for applications against pathogens that are responsible for infections in the gastrointestinal and urogenital tracts and the skin.

Oxidative and nitrosative bursts play an important role in the antifungal activity of itraconazole and amphotericin B against C. gattii.

New bioemulsifier-producing yeasts were isolated from the biological wastewater treatment plant of a dairy industry. Of the 31 bioemulsifier-producing strains, 12 showed emulsifying activity after 2months of incubation, with E(24) values ranging from 7% to 78%. However, only Trichosporon loubieri CLV20, Geotrichum sp. CLOA40, and T. montevideense CLOA70 exhibited high emulsion-stabilizing capacity, with E(24) values of 78%, 67%, and 66%, respectively. These isolates were shown to induce a strong emulsion stabilizing activity rather than the reduction of the interfacial tension. These strains exhibited similar growth rates in the exponential growth phase, with a clear acceleration after 24h and stabilization of the activity after 144h. Emulsification and stability properties of the bioemulsifiers were compared to those of commercial surfactants after the addition of NaCl and exposure to temperature of 100 degrees C. The compounds produced by the isolates appeared to be lipid-polysaccharide complexes. Gas chromatograph analysis of the lipidic fraction of the bioemulsifiers from CLV20, CLOA40, and CLOA70 shows the prevalence of (9Z,12Z)-octadeca-9,12-dienoic acid, in concentrations of 42.8%, 25.9%, and 49.8%, respectively. The carbohydrate composition, as determined by GC-MS of their alditol acetate derivatives, showed a predominance of mannose, galactose, xylose and arabinose.

Terminalia catappa Linn bark is used to treat dysentery by various populations in Southeast Asian countries, and its leaves have also been used in traditional medicine to treat hepatitis in India and the Philippines. Here, the antifungal actions of crude hydro-alcoholic extract (TcHE) and fractions from T. catappa leaves were assessed via the agar diffusion and microdilution tests on Candida reference strains and clinical isolates from patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Additionally, the potential cytotoxic effects of TcHE were assessed on cultured human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). T. catappa fractions and sub-fractions were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry with electron impact (GC/MS/EI), high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry “electrospray” ionization in positive mode (HPLC/MS/MS/ESI+) and hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR). TcHE and its fractions were able to inhibit the growth of all tested Candida strains with the n-butanol (FBuOH) fraction presenting the best antifungal activity. Testing of different FBuOH sub-fractions (SF) showed that SF10 was the most active against Candida spp. Fractioning of SF10 demonstrated that 5 out of its 15 sub-fractions were active against Candida spp., with SF10.5 presenting the highest activity. Chemical analysis of SF10 detected hydrolysable tannins (punicalin, punicalagin), gallic acid and flavonoid C-glycosides. Overall, the results showed that T. catappa L. leaf extract, fractions and sub-fractions were antifungal against Candida spp. and may be useful to treat diseases caused by this fungus.

Lactobacilli are involved in the microbial homeostasis in the female genital tract. Due to the high prevalence of many bacterial diseases of the female genital tract and the resistance of microorganisms to various antimicrobial agents, alternative means to control these infections are necessary. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the probiotic properties of well-characterized Lactobacillus species, including L. acidophilus (ATCC 4356), L. brevis (ATCC 367), L. delbrueckii ssp. delbrueckii (ATCC 9645), L. fermentum (ATCC 23271), L. paracasei (ATCC 335), L. plantarum (ATCC 8014), and L. rhamnosus (ATCC 9595), against Candida albicans (ATCC 18804), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (ATCC 9826), and Streptococcus agalactiae (ATCC 13813). The probiotic potential was investigated by using the following criteria: (i) adhesion to host epithelial cells and mucus, (ii) biofilm formation, (iii) co-aggregation with bacterial pathogens, (iv) inhibition of pathogen adhesion to mucus and HeLa cells, and (v) antimicrobial activity. Tested lactobacilli adhered to mucin, co-aggregated with all genital microorganisms, and displayed antimicrobial activity. With the exception of L. acidophilus and L. paracasei, they adhered to HeLa cells. However, only L. fermentum produced a moderate biofilm and a higher level of co-aggregation and mucin binding. The displacement assay demonstrated that all Lactobacillus strains inhibit C. albicans binding to mucin (p < 0.001), likely due to the production of substances with antimicrobial activity. Clinical isolates belonging to the most common Candida species associated to vaginal candidiasis were inhibited by L. fermentum. Collectively, our data suggest that L. fermentum ATCC 23271 is a potential probiotic candidate, particularly to complement candidiasis treatment, since presented with the best probiotic profile in comparison with the other tested lactobacilli strains.