Effects of cranberry juice on the physicochemical properties of Escherichia coli and uroepithelial cells

COLL 27

Yatao Liu1, Amparo M. Gallardo-Moreno2, and Terri A. Camesano, terric@wpi.edu1. (1) Department of Chemical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute road, Worcester, MA 01609, (2) Department of Physics, University of Extremadura,Badajoz,Spain, Avda de Elvas s/n, Badajoz, Spain
The adhesion of Escherichia coli onto uroepithelial cells (UC) functions as the first step in the development of urinary tract infections (UTIs). Cranberry juice (CJ) can prevent and even treat UTIs. In order to investigate those physicochemical properties before and after CJ treatment, P-fimbriated E. coli HB101pDC1, non-fimbriated E. coli HB101 and UC (ATCC CRL-9520) were immersed in 0.01M PBS, 2.5wt%, 5wt% and 10wt% neutralized CJ for 3 hours. Cellular hydrophobicity was quantified by the water contact angle. The surface free energy, as the sum of Lifshitz-van der Waals and acid base surface components, was calculated from contact angles of water, formamide and diiodomethane on the cell lawns. The Lifshitz-van der Waals forces of the bacteria were not changed by CJ treatment but those of the UC were changed after CJ exposure. Combined with the force measurement data, the dominating factors responsible for bacterial adhesion are specific, rather than non-specific, interaction forces.
 

Structure, Interactions and Reactivity at Microbial Surfaces
8:30 AM-11:40 AM, Sunday, 10 September 2006 Sir Francis Drake -- Windsor Room, Oral

Division of Colloid & Surface Chemistry

The 232nd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September 10-14, 2006