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Evaluation of inhibitory and probiotic properties of lactic acid bacteria isolated from vaginal microflora

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Abstract

Lactic acid bacteria (LABs) are known to secrete species-specific secondary metabolites that could be utilized as novel therapeutics against multi-drug resistant pathogens. This study aimed to investigate the antagonistic and probiotic properties of LABs isolated from the vaginal ecosystem of healthy women and to assess the stability of their antagonistic metabolites. Among 43 strains isolated from healthy women, eight LAB strains exhibited detectable BLISs (bacteriocin-like substances) producing ability against E. faecalis (JH-86), S. aureus (JH-68), Streptococcus sp. (JH-80), and E. coli (JH-101), with zone of inhibition (ZI) ranging from 9.00 to 20.33 mm and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) from 62.5 to 500 μL/mL, respectively. The partially purified compounds extracted from cell free supernatant (CFS) displayed an increase in antagonistic activity based on ZI, 9.67–30.17 mm and MICs, 3.91–15.63 mg/mL, respectively. In a time-kill study, both crude and partially purified compounds of Limosilactobacillus reuteri (MT180537), Pediococcus pentosaceus (MT176555), Limosilactobacillus pontis (MW362838), and Levilactobacillus brevis (MW362790) exhibited significant bactericidal action against E. faecalis (MW051601), the most frequent etiological agent of aerobic vaginitis (AV). The active secondary metabolites from L. reuteri (MT180537), P. pentosaceus (MT176555), and L. pontis (MW362838) were protein in nature and remained stable under different physicochemical conditions. Regarding probiotic properties, the strains presented probiotic characteristics, i.e., good acid, bile salt tolerance, aggregation properties, and biofilm formation. The strains were susceptible to most of the commonly used antibiotics and had no hemolytic activity. In conclusion, antagonistic compounds or BLIS produced by L. reuteri (MT180537) could be investigated further for preparation of ointments to treat AV.

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All data analyzed during this study are included in this article.

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Acknowledgements

We are extremely grateful to University of the Punjab for providing laboratory facilities.

Funding

This work was supported by Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan under grant (PIN # 315–9036-2BS3-105) awarded to Miss Kiran Shazadi.

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Contributions

Kiran Shazadi performed research work and wrote the article. Najma Arshad designed the study and analyzed data.

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Correspondence to Najma Arshad.

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Ethics approval

Ethical approval was obtained from the Punjab University’s Institutional Review Board/Ethical Committee (reference: 023/DFEMS). The clinicians collected the samples from the urogenital tract of healthy women and patients with symptoms of vaginal discharge at the gynecology unit in Jinnah Hospital Lahore, Pakistan. All parameters were in accordance with the Ethical Principles for Human Subjects, Helsinki Declaration (2013).

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Written informed consent was taken from all the participants included in this study.

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Not applicable.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Shazadi, K., Arshad, N. Evaluation of inhibitory and probiotic properties of lactic acid bacteria isolated from vaginal microflora. Folia Microbiol 67, 427–445 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-021-00942-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-021-00942-5

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