Anticancer and antimicrobial potential of enterocin 12a from Enterococcus faecium

Area of Science:

• Microbiology and Biotechnology
• Cancer Research
• Drug Discovery

Background:

• Rising infections from Gram-negative bacteria in neutropenic cancer patients necessitate novel therapeutics.
• Bacteriocins, prokaryotic cationic proteins, show potential as antimicrobial and anticancer agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To purify and characterize a novel bacteriocin with potential dual anticancer and antimicrobial properties.
• To evaluate the antimicrobial spectrum and anticancer activity of the purified bacteriocin.

Main Methods:

• Purification and characterization of enterocin 12a from *Enterococcus faecium*.
• Antimicrobial susceptibility testing against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens.
• Assessment of anticancer activity against human cancer cell lines and normal cells using cell proliferation assays and morphological analysis.

Main Results:

• A 65 kDa broad-spectrum enterocin 12a was purified, exhibiting potent activity against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (*Salmonella*, *Shigella*, *Vibrio*, *E. coli*) and *Listeria monocytogenes*.
• Enterocin 12a demonstrated selective dose-dependent inhibition of human cancer cell line proliferation without affecting normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
• Mass spectrometry revealed partial homology of enterocin 12a with a redox protein from *E. faecalis*.

Conclusions:

• Enterocin 12a is a novel bacteriocin with significant anticancer properties against human cell lines and minimal toxicity to non-malignant cells.
• Further investigation of enterocin 12a's anticancer potential in preclinical animal models is warranted.