COLL 28 |
| Cranberry juice has been used to prevent urinary tract infections, oral infections and stomach ulcers through inhibition of bacterial cell adhesion. We have reported the ability of cranberry juice to reduce nonspecific adhesion of bacteria to glass waveguides used in an immunoarray biosensor. The addition of cranberry juice to samples of Escherichia coli reduced nonspecific binding of the cells to the glass, thereby dramatically reducing background signal levels. Factors such as pH and sugar content were eliminated as contributing to this impact. Other juices such as that of red grapes or white cranberries did not reproduce the effect. The active components were determined to be within a fraction of the high molecular weight, non-dialyzable material from cranberry juice. This fraction of cranberry juice contains proanthocyanidins (PACs), polymers consisting of flavanoid subunits. PACs have been implicated in the inhibition of bacterial cell adhesion in the urinary tract. We have purified these compounds from cranberry juice in order to further investigate both their inhibition of E. coli cell adhesion and the mechanism through which this inhibition is accomplished. We will present data demonstrating the interaction of PACs with specific components of bacterial cell surfaces and discuss the implications of using PACs to control the interaction of bacterial cell components with host cells. |
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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 |