The Structural Changes in the Membranes of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Caused by Hydrolysable Tannins Witness Their Antibacterial Activity
Ewa Olchowik-Grabarek,
Szymon Sękowski,
Agnieszka Kwiatek,
Jagoda Płaczkiewicz,
Nodira Abdulladjanova,
Vadim Shlyonsky,
Izabela Swiecicka,
Maria Zamaraeva
Affiliations
Ewa Olchowik-Grabarek
Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bialystok, 15-245 Bialystok, Poland
Szymon Sękowski
Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bialystok, 15-245 Bialystok, Poland
Agnieszka Kwiatek
Department of Molecular Virology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland
Jagoda Płaczkiewicz
Department of Molecular Virology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland
Nodira Abdulladjanova
Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent 100143, Uzbekistan
Vadim Shlyonsky
Laboratory of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Université libre de Bruxelles, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
Izabela Swiecicka
Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bialystok, 15-245 Bialystok, Poland
Maria Zamaraeva
Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bialystok, 15-245 Bialystok, Poland
Polyphenols, including tannins, are phytochemicals with pronounced antimicrobial properties. We studied the activity of two hydrolysable tannins, (i) gallotannin—1,2,3,4,5-penta-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose (PGG) and (ii) ellagitannin—1,2-di-O-galloyl-4,6-valoneoyl-β-D-glucose (dGVG), applied alone and in combination with antibiotics against Staphylococcus aureus strain 8324-4. We also evaluated the effect of these tannins on bacterial membrane integrity and fluidity and studied their interaction with membrane proteins and lipids. A correlation between the antimicrobial activity of the tannins and their membranotropic action depending on the tannin molecular structure has been demonstrated. We found that the antibacterial activity of PGG was stronger than dGVG, which can be associated with its larger flexibility, dipole moment, and hydrophobicity. In addition, we also noted the membrane effects of the tannins observed as an increase in the size of released bacterial membrane vesicles.
