• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.1084-1092
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• 2015

In the present work, the in vitro prebiotic activity of xylooligosaccharides (XOS) derived from corn cobs combined with Lactobacillus plantarum, a probiotic microorganism, was determined. These probiotics exhibited different growth characteristics depending on strain specificity. L. plantarum S2 cells were denser and their growth rates were higher when cultured on XOS. Acetate was found to be the major short-chain fatty acid produced as the end-product of fermentation, and its amount varied from 1.50 to 1.78 mg/ml. The antimicrobial activity of XOS combined with L. plantarum S2 was determined against gastrointestinal pathogens. The results showed that XOS proved to be an effective substrate, enhancing antimicrobial activity for L. plantarum S2. In vivo evaluation of the influence of XOS and L. plantarum S2, used both alone and together, on the intestinal microbiota in a mouse model showed that XOS combined with L. plantarum S2 could increase the viable lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in mice feces and decrease the viable Enterococcus, Enterobacter, and Clostridia spp. Furthermore, in the in vitro antioxidant assay, XOS combined with L. plantarum S2 possessed significant 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2'-azino-bis, and superoxide anion radical-scavenging activities, and the combinations showed better antioxidant activity than either XOS or L. plantarum S2 alone.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.237-251
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• 2020

Lactic acid bacteria prevent the contamination of food products by inhibiting proliferation of pathogenic bacteria. This is done mainly by the production of lactic acid and antimicrobial peptides (AMP_S) known as bacteriocins. The interest in these molecules resides in both their antimicrobial spectrum and safety for human health. The application of bacteriocins or producer strains has been considered to avoid the development of pathogenic bacteria, as most bacteriocins have significant inhibitory activity against food pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes. This article describes the classification, structure, mode of action, biosynthesis, and main applications of bacteriocins in different fields: agri-food, aquaculture, and medicine.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.962-970
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• 2016

Commercialized production of onion vinegar, which has biological activities formed through alcohol and acetic acid fermentation, requires standardization. The objective of this study was to determine optimal conditions of sugar contents ($11{\sim}15^{\circ}Brix$) and agitation rate (100~300 rpm) of fermenter in the alcohol-acetic fermentation for producing onion vinegar. The alcohol and total acidity contents increased, whereas contents of total sugars decreased during alcohol fermentation. Contents of alcohol of 13 and $15^{\circ}Brix$ reactants were about 8% in 36 hr and total acidities of all samples were below 0.2% in 60 hr. During acetic fermentation, total acidity increased with highest value at 9 days (3.2% in 100 rpm), 10 days (4.1% in 200 rpm) and 8 days (4.3% in 300 rpm), respectively. From these results, sugar contents ($13^{\circ}Brix$) were measured for alcohol fermentation and agitation rate (300 rpm) for fast fermentation method of vinegar. The contents of total phenols, flavonoids and quercetin in onion vinegar were 33.3 mg/100 g, 3.0 mg/100 g and 2.0 mg/100 g, respectively. Onion vinegar showed an antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli and Enterobacter aerogenes. Antioxidant effect of onion vinegar was 26.23% in DPPH radical inhibition and 58.58% in superoxide dismutase like activity, respectively. Fibrinolytic activity was 1.51 plasmin unit/mL in onion vinegar. In conclusion, onion vinegar processed by alcohol and acetic fermentation had nutritional values and potential biological activities.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.401-414
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• 2020

The emergence and persistence of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in livestock animals have been reported as a potential risk factor for transmission to humans. In this study, we investigated the nationwide prevalence and characteristics of MRSA and MSSA in the Korean beef production system, including retail markets, slaughterhouses, and cattle farms. From a total of 1,285 samples, only 5 MRSA strains were isolated: from a farmer (1 ST72 MRSA), a carcass sample from a slaughterhouse (1 ST72 MRSA), and beef cattle (3 ST5 MRSA). In addition, 11 MSSA strains were isolated from beef cattle (n=3), humans (1 farmer, 1 slaughterhouse worker, and 4 retail market workers), and carcass samples (n=1) and slaughterhouse environment (n=1). Although the prevalence of MRSA and MSSA in beef cattle was much lower than that reported in pigs, 5/5 MRSA and 2/11 MSSA strains displayed multiple drug resistance (MDR) phenotypes. Unlike the swine-associated MRSA, no correlation was found between tetracycline/zinc resistance and MDR phenotype. However, MRSA strains had an identical set of staphylococcal enterotoxins and exhibited enhanced levels of resistance to antimicrobial peptides (PMAP-36 and LL-37) compared to the MSSA strains. In conclusion, continued and systemic surveillance of livestock, meat products, and humans in close contact with livestock/meat products is necessary to prevent the transmission of MRSA and MSSA to humans.

• Asian Journal of Turfgrass Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.57-63
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• 2006

This study was carried out to investigate control efficacy of natural compound, TGR-N1 against turfgrass fungal diseases. TGR-N1 showed antimicrobial activity in vitro. Rhizoctonia solani AG 1-1, Rhizoctonia solani AG2-2, Rhizoctonia cerealis, Sclerotinia homoeocarpa and Colletotrichum graminicola were inhibited by 500 times and 1,000 times of diluents of TGR-N1. Pythium spp. was not inhibited by the same diluents of TGR-N1. The TGR-N1 also showed a remarkable antifungal activity against Rhizoctonia solani AG 1-1, Rhizoctonia solani AG2-2 in field. This study proved the antifungal activity of natural compound, TGR-N1 and showed its potential as a natural pesticide.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.81-88
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• 2015

This study was conducted to isolate lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from dog intestine and identify potential probiotic strains for canine use. One hundred and one LAB were isolated from feces of 20 healthy dogs. Acid, bile, and heat resistance along with adherence to Caco-2 cells and antimicrobial activity against pathogens were examined. To analyze immunomodulative effects, the production of nitric oxide (NO), TNF-${\alpha}$, and IL-$1{\beta}$ was measured using RAW 264.7 macrophages. Additionally, RAW BLUE cells were used to evaluate nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ (NF-${\kappa}B$) generation. Ultimately, three strains were selected as canine probiotics and identified as Lactobacillus reuteri L10, Enterococcus faecium S33, and Bifidobacterium longum B3 by 16S rRNA sequence analysis. The L10 and S33 strains showed tolerance to pH 2.5 for 2 h, 1.0% Oxgall for 2 h, and $60^{\circ}C$ for 5 min. These strains also had strong antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli KCTC 1682, Salmonella Enteritidis KCCM 12021, Staphylococcus aureus KCTC 1621, and Listeria monocytogenes KCTC 3569. All three strains exerted better immunomodulatory effects than Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), a well-known commercial immunomodulatory strain, based on NO, NF-${\kappa}B$, IL-$1{\beta}$, and TNF-${\alpha}$ production. These results suggested that the three selected strains could serve as canine probiotics.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.13
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• pp.5219-5223
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• 2015

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection as a serious problem in both adults and children can induce chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease (PUD), and possibly gastric cancer. The aim of the current study was to survey antibiotic resistance and also to determine influence of PPAR$\gamma$ polymorphism in patients with H. pylori infection. During an 11-month-period, 98 H. pylori isolates were collected from 104 biopsy specimens. In vitro susceptibility of H. pylori isolates to 4 antimicrobial agents metronidazole, clarithromycin, amoxicillin and tetracycline were assessed by quantitative method according to European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) guideline. PPAR$\gamma$ polymorphism was determined using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. The frequency of H. pylori infection in our study was 94.2%. In vitro susceptibility data showed that highest level of resistance was related to metronidazole (66.3%), and the majority of H. pylori isolates were highly susceptible to amoxicillin and tetracycline (94.9% and 96.9%, respectively). Genotypic frequencies were 25.5% for CC (Pro12Pro), 40.8% for GC (Pro12Ala) and 33.7% for GG (Ala12Ala). In our study, CG genotype had highest distributions among infected patients with H. pylori. The study suggests that the PPAR-$\gamma$ Pro12Ala polymorphism could be evaluated as a potential genetic marker for susceptibility to gastric cancer in the presence of H. pylori infection.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.239-244
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• 1986

To develop the potential use as new host strain for gene cloning, alkaline-tolerant isolates from soil were examined for amylase activity, protease activity, antimicrobial activity and transformability by using plasmid pUB 110. Of these strains, one was selected and identified as Bacillus sp. YA-14. in the enzymatic properties of Bacillus sp. YA-14 the optimal conditions for the reaction of amylase and protease were at pH 0.8 and pH 7.5 respectively. The antimicrobial activity of Bacillus sp. YA-14 was also found. For the transformation, Bacillus sp. YA-14 was cultured to late logarithmic growth phase ai 37$^{\circ}C$ in modified SPI medium (pH 8.0) containing 0.4% MgSO$_4$. The presence of pUB 110 plasmid DNA in transformants was confirmed by electrophoresis and stably maintained in the new host.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.148-156
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• 2020

Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci 6605 has two multidrug resistance (MDR) efflux pump transporters, MexAB-OprM and MexEF-OprN. To understand the role of these MDR efflux pumps in virulence, we generated deletion mutants, ΔmexB, ΔmexF, and ΔmexBΔmexF, and investigated their sensitivity to plant-derived antimicrobial compounds, antibiotics, and virulence. Growth inhibition assays with KB soft agar plate showed that growth of the wild-type (WT) was inhibited by 5 μl of 1 M catechol and 1 M coumarin but not by other plant-derived potential antimicrobial compounds tested including phytoalexins. The sensitivity to these compounds tended to increase in ΔmexB and ΔmexBΔmexF mutants. The ΔmexBΔmexF mutant was also sensitive to 2 M acetovanillone. The mexAB-oprM was constitutively expressed, and activated in the ΔmexF and ΔmexBΔmexF mutant strains. The swarming and swimming motilities were impaired in ΔmexF and ΔmexBΔmexF mutants. The flood inoculation test indicated that bacterial populations in all mutant strains were significantly lower than that of WT, although all mutants and WT caused similar disease symptoms. These results indicate that MexAB-OprM extrudes plant-derived catechol, acetovanillone, or coumarin, and contributes to bacterial virulence. Furthermore, MexAB-OprM and MexEF-OprN complemented each other's functions to some extent.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.278-288
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• 2013

Objectives : Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has a cephalosporin and beta-lactam antibiotic-resistant strains. MRSA is one of the major pathogens causing hospital infection and the isolation ratio of MRSA has gradually increased. Consequently, increased resistance to antibiotics is causing serious problems in the world. Therefore, there is a need to develop alternative antimicrobial drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases. Methods : The antibacterial activities of Ipyo-san were evaluated against 2 strains of MRSA and 1 standard Methicillin-susceptible staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) strain by using the disc diffusion method, minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) assay, colorimetric assay using MTT test, checkerboard dilution test and time-kill assay performed under dark. Results : The MIC of Ipyo-san water extract against S. aureus strains ranged from 1000 to $2,000{\mu}g/ml$, so we confirmed that it had a strong antibacterial effect. Also, the combinations of Ipyo-san water extract and conventional antibiotics exhibited improved inhibition of MRSA with synergy effect. We suggest that Ipyo-san water extract against MRSA has antibacterial activity so it has potential as alternatives to antibiotic agents. For the combination test, we used Triton X-100 (TX) and DCCD for measurement of membrane permeability and inhibitor of ATPase. As a result, antimicrobial activity of Ipyo-san water extract was affected by the cell membrane. Conclusions : We suggest that the Ipyo-san water extract lead the treatment of bacterial infection to solve the resistance and remaining side-effect problems that are the major weak points of traditional antibiotics.