Antibacterial apple cider vinegar eradicates methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and resistant Escherichia...

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Immunology
• Natural Products

Background:

• Antibiotic resistance in bacteria such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and resistant Escherichia coli (rE.coli) poses a significant global health threat.
• Current treatment strategies often involve multiple ineffective antibiotic courses with adverse effects, necessitating the exploration of alternative therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the antimicrobial efficacy of apple cider vinegar (ACV) against MRSA and rE.coli.
• To evaluate the impact of ACV on immune cell function in the context of these resistant bacterial infections.
• To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying ACV's action against resistant bacteria.

Main Methods:

• Determining the minimum inhibitory dilution of ACV against MRSA and rE.coli.
• Assessing monocyte phagocytosis in co-culture models with ACV and bacteria.
• Utilizing label-free quantitative proteomics to analyze microbial protein expression changes post-ACV treatment.

Main Results:

• ACV demonstrated antimicrobial activity against both MRSA and rE.coli at a 1/25 dilution (liquid) or 200 µg/ml (tablets).
• ACV significantly increased monocyte phagocytosis by 21.2% (vs. MRSA) and 33.5% (vs. rE.coli).
• Proteomic analysis revealed ACV penetrates bacterial cells, altering protein expression and significantly reducing total protein levels, with specific proteins identified in treated MRSA and rE.coli.

Conclusions:

• Apple cider vinegar exhibits potent antimicrobial effects against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
• ACV enhances immune cell phagocytic activity, suggesting an immunomodulatory role.
• ACV acts at a molecular level by disrupting essential protein expression within resistant bacterial cells.