FOOD SCIENCE ›› 2021, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (2): 121-127.doi: 10.7506/spkx1002-6630-20191112-162

• Bioengineering • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Screening of Lactic Acid Bacteria for Antagonistic Activity against Drug-Resistant Escherichia coli and Underlying Mechanism

SUN Yue, LIU Jiayi, CHEN Lu, DU Hong, BAI Fengling, LÜ Xinran, ZHANG Defu, GUO Xiaohua, LI Jianrong   

  1. (1. Food Safety Key Lab of Liaoning Province, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Storage, Processing and Safety Control Technology for Fresh Agricultural and Aquatic Products, Collaborative Innovation Center of Seafood Deep Processing, Dalian Polytechnic University, Bohai University, College of Food Science and Technology, Bohai University, Jinzhou 121013, China; 2. Shandong Meijia Group Co. Ltd., Rizhao 276800, China)
  • Online:2021-01-18 Published:2021-01-27

Abstract: The aims of this study were to screen lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains isolated from pickled Chinese cabbage for antagonistic activity against drug-resistant Escherichia coli, and to explore the underlying mechanism of action. Six target strains were selected by the oxford cup agar well diffusion method, among which strain XCT1-1 exhibited the largest diameter of inhibition zone against drug-resistant E. coli and was identified by physiological and biochemical tests and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. To shed light on the antibacterial mechanism of the ethyl acetate extract of the cell-free culture supernatant of XCT1-1 against drug-resistant E. coli, the effect of treatment with azithromycin and/or the culture supernatant extract on the electrical conductivity and extracellular proteins, and ultraviolet (UV) absorbing materials of drug-resistant E. coli. The results showed that the diameter of inhibition zone of strain XCT1-1 against drug-resistant E. coli was 20.31 mm and it was identified as Lactobacillus plantarum. After 10 h treatment with the culture supernatant extract of XCT1-1 alone and combined with azithromycin, the electrical conductivity increased by 20.54% and 21.93%, the content of extracellular protein by 25.24% and 27.93%, and the content of UV absorbing materials by 63.56% and 77.12%, respectively. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed that the cell wall and membrane of drug-resistant E. coli were damaged by the culture supernatant extract alone and in combination with azithromycin. The bacterial cell surface became wrinkled after the former treatment, while the latter treatment resulted in the collapse of the cell structure. These results indicated that the culture supernatant extract of XCT1-1, azithromycin and their combination exerted antagonistic effects by damaging the cell membrane. In addition, the culture supernatant extract of strain XCT1-1 increased the susceptibility of drug-resistant E. coli to azithromycin.

Key words: drug-resistant Escherichia coli; lactic acid bacteria; antagonistic effect; screening and identification; antibacterial mechanism

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