Novel anti-virulence strategy againstusingcell-free supernatants.
Source: PubMed, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine
is one of the most prevalent pathogenic microorganisms worldwide. The treatment ofinfections is challenging due to the increasing antibiotic resistance. Therefore, alternative therapies are crucial for addressing these issues. This study aimed to investigate alternative approaches to combatinfection using lactic acid bacteria. Nineteen LAB isolates exhibited strong tolerance to simulated gastric acid and bile salts, as well as notable auto-aggregation and co-aggregation capabilities. Among them, isolates L20, L22, and L40 showed superior performance. Their neutralized cell-free supernatants (n-CFSs) significantly inhibitedurease production by 69, 66, and 67%, respectively, and reduced biofilm formation by 88, 82, and 80%, respectively. Molecular identification revealed that isolates L20 and L40 belonged to, while L22 was identified as. Furthermore, the n-CFS ofL20 markedly downregulated the expression ofvirulence genes, including,,, andwith fold reductions of 79, 68, 90, and 96%, respectively., treatment withL20 n-CFS resulted in 1.28 log reduction incolonization ( < 0.001). Proteomic analysis further identified metabolically active proteins associated with catalytic and secondary metabolite pathways, supporting their mechanistic role in anti-activity. These findings highlight the potential of LAB-derived n-CFS, particularlyL20, as a promising antivirulent strategy againstinfections.