The antimicrobial compound reuterin (3-hydroxypropionaldehyde) induces oxidative stress via interaction with thiol groups.

ABSTRACT: Reuterin is an antimicrobial compound produced by Lactobacillus reuteri, and has been proposed to mediate, in part, the probiotic health benefits ascribed to this micro-organism. Despite 20 years of investigation, the mechanism of action by which reuterin exerts its antimicrobial effects has remained elusive. Here we provide evidence that reuterin induces oxidative stress in cells, most likely by modifying thiol groups in proteins and small molecules. Escherichia coli cells subjected to sublethal levels of reuterin expressed a set of genes that overlapped with the set of genes composing the OxyR regulon, which senses and responds to various forms of oxidative stress. E. coli cells mutated for oxyR were more sensitive to reuterin compared with wild-type cells, further supporting a role for

SUBMITTER: Schaefer L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7336520 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature