Abstract
The strong toxicity of pathogenic bacteria has resulted in high levels of morbidity and mortality in the general population. Developing effective antibacterial agents with high efficacy and long activity is in great demand. In this study, the microcalorimetric technique based on heat output of bacterial metabolism was applied to evaluate the effect of berberine on Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, individually and in a mixture of both using a multi-channel microcalorimeter. The differences in shape of the power–time fingerprints and thermokinetic parameters of microorganism growth were compared. The results revealed that low concentration (20 μg/mL) of berberine began to inhibit the growth of E. coli and mixed microorganisms, while promoting the growth of B. subtilis; high concentration of berberine (over 100 μg/mL) inhibited B. subtilis. The endurance of E. coli to berberine was obviously lower than B. subtilis, and E. coli could decrease the endurance of B. subtilis to berberine. The sequence of half-inhibitory concentration (IC50) of berberine was: B. subtilis (952.37 μg/mL) > mixed microorganisms (682.47 μg/mL) > E. coli (581.69 μg/mL). Berberine might be a good selection of antibacterial agent used in the future. The microcalorimetric method should be strongly suggested in screening novel antibacterial agents for fighting against pathogenic bacteria.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arias M, Garcia-Falcon MS, Garcia-Rio L, Mejuto JC, Rial-Otero R, Simal-Gandara J (2007) Binding constants of oxytetracycline to animal feed divalent cations. J Food Eng 78:69–73
Batovska D, Parushev S, Slavova A, Bankova V, Tsvetkova I, Ninova M, Najdenski H (2007) Study on the substituents’ effects of a series of synthetic chalcones against the yeast Candida albicans. Eur J Med Chem 42:87–92
Belongia EA, MacDonald KL, Parham GL, White KE, Korlath MN, Lobato SM (1991) An outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 colitis associated with consumption of precooked meat patties. J Infect Dis 164:338–343
Braissant O, Wirz D, Göpfert B, Daniels AU (2010) Use of isothermal microcalorimetry to monitor microbial activities. FEMS Microbiol Lett 303:1–8
Chardin B, Dolla A, Chaspoul F, Fardeau ML, Gallice P, Bruschi M (2002) Bioremediation of chromate: thermodynamic analysis of the effects of Cr (VI) on sulfate-reducing bacteria. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 60:352–360
Coates A, Hu YM, Bax R, Page C (2002) The future challenges facing the development of new antimicrobial compounds. Nat Rev Drug Discov 1:895–910
Haydon DJ, Stokes NR, Ure R, Galbraith G, Bennett JM, Brown DR, Baker PJ, Barynin VV, Rice DW, Sedelnikova SE, Heal JR, Sheridan JM, Aiwale ST, Chauhan PK, Srivastava A, Taneja A, Collins I, Errington J, Czaplewski LG (2008) An inhibitor of FtsZ with potent and selective anti-staphylococcal activity. Science 321:1673–1675
Kong WJ, Wang JB, Jin C, Zhao YL, Dai CM, Xiao XH, Li ZL (2009) Effect of emodin on Candida albicans growth investigated by microcalorimetry combined with chemometric analysis. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 83:1183–1190
Kong WJ, Jin C, Xiao XH, Zhao YL, Li ZL, Zhang P, Liu W, Li XF (2010) Comparative study of effects of two bile acid derivatives on Staphylococcus aureus by multiple analytical methods. J Hazard Mater 179:742–747
Kong WJ, Wang JB, Xing XY, Jin C, Xiao XH, Zhao YL, Zhang P, Zang QC, Li ZL (2011) Screening for novel antibacterial agents based on the activities of compounds on metabolism of Escherichia coli: a microcalorimetric study. J Hazard Mater 185:346–352
Kong WJ, Wang JB, Xiao XH, Chen SL, Yang MH (2012) Evaluation of antibacterial effect and mode of Coptidis rhizoma by microcalorimetry coupled with chemometric techniques. Analyst 137:216–222
Leng P, Guo XL, Yang Y, Lou HX (2007) Primary study on antifungal activities and reversal of fluconazole resistance of Plagiochin E. Chin Pharm J 42:349–352
Li X, Zhang ZJ, Wang CG, Zhang T, He K, Deng FH (2011) Synthesis, crystal structure and action on Escherichia coli by microcalorimetry of copper complexes with 1,10-phenanthroline and amino acid. J Inorg Biochem 105:23–30
Müller EE, Ehlers MM, Grabow WOK (2001) The occurrence of E. coli O157:H7 in South African water sources intended for direct and indirect human consumption. Water Res 35:3085–3088
Santos MV, Zaritzky N, Califano A (2010) A control strategy to assure safety conditions in the thermal treatment of meat products using a numerical algorithms. Food Control 21:191–197
Sendzik J, Lode H, Stahlmann R (2009) Quinolone-induced arthropathy: an update focusing on new mechanistic and clinical data. Int J Antimicrob Agents 33:194–200
Sommer MOA, Dantas G, Church GM (2009) Functional characterization of the antibiotic resistance reservoir in the human microflora. Science 325:1128–1131
Wadsö I (1995) Microcalorimetric techniques for characterization of living cellular systems. Will there be any important practical applications? Thermochim Acta 47:337–350
Wadsö I (2001) Isothermal microcalorimetry: current problems and prospects. J Therm Anal Calorim 64:75–84
WHO (2008) New laboratory diagnostic tools for tuberculosis control. p 20, WHO Press
Xie CL, Tang HK, Song ZH, Qu SS (1988) Microcalorimetric study of bacterial growth. Thermochim Acta 123:33–41
Yang Y, Ye XL, Li XG, Zhen LS (2007) Anti-microbial effect of four alkaloids from Coptidis rhizoma. Med Mater Med Res 18:3013–3014
Zhang T, Li X, Min XM, Fang TT, Zhang ZJ, Yang L, Liu P (2012) Acute toxicity of chlorobenzenes in Tetrahymena: estimated by microcalorimetry and mechanism. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol 33:377–385
Zhao YL, Yan D, Wang JB, Zhang P, Xiao XH (2010) Anti-fungal effect of berberine on Candida albicans by microcalorimetry with correspondence analysis. J Therm Anal Calorim 102:49–55
Zhuang RS, Chen HL, Yao J, Li Z, Burnet JE, Choi MMF (2011) Impact of beta-cypermethrin on soil microbial community associated with its bioavailability: a combined study by isothermal microcalorimetry and enzyme assay techniques. J Hazard Mater 189:323–328
Zlitni S, Brown ED (2009) Not as fab as we thought. Nature 458:39–40
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful for the support from the National Science Foundation of China (Nos. 30973947 and 81073043), the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (20111106110034, 20121106120029) and the Program for Xiehe Scholars and Innovative Research Team in Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (YKRBH(2011)26).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Additional information
Wei-Jun Kong and Xiao-Yan Xing contributed equally to this work.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kong, WJ., Xing, XY., Xiao, XH. et al. Effect of berberine on Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and their mixtures as determined by isothermal microcalorimetry. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 96, 503–510 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-012-4302-y
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-012-4302-y