p-coumaric acid (p-CA) is one of the most abundant phenolic compounds in
nature and human diet. Probiotic bacteria are microorganisms conferring
health benefits on host when administered in adequate amounts. The
synbiotic interaction of these two contents, found in gastrointestinal
tract, and effect of this interaction on intestines are not known. Thus,
this study aimed to investigate synbiotic relationship between p-CA and
Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 (LA-5), Lacticaseibacillus
rhamnosus GG (LGG). They were grown in the presence of different
concentrations of p-CA and effects of p-CA on probiotic properties, as
well as in vitro effects on AChE and BChE activities were examined.
Results indicated p-CA did not negatively affect bacterial growth, but
increased auto-aggregation of both probiotics. While p-CA increased
co-aggregation of LA-5 and LGG against Escherichia coli, it decreased
co-aggregation against Staphylococcus aureus. Probiotics grown with p-CA
were more resistant to pepsin. While p-CA increased the resistance of
LA-5 to bile salt, it decreased the resistance of LGG. The combinations
of bacteria and p-CA efficiently suppressed AChE and BChE with
inhibition (%) 11.31-68.06 and 13.47-65.14, respectively. Furthermore,
surface analysis was conducted using FTIR to investigate the interaction
of p-coumaric acid with LA-5 and LGG, and changes in cell components on
the bacterial surface were analyzed. The results, recorded in range of
4000-600 cm⁻¹ with resolution of 4 cm⁻¹, demonstrated that p-CA
significantly affected only the phosphate/CH ratio for both bacteria.
These results indicate the addition of p-CA to the probiotic growth may
enhance the probiotic properties of bacteria.