Immunomodulatory Efficacy-Mediated Anti-HCV and Anti-HBV Potential of Kefir Grains; Unveiling the In Vitro Antibacterial, Antifungal, and Wound Healing Activities
Sawsan Abd Ellatif,
Elsayed S. Abdel Razik,
Marwa M. Abu-Serie,
Ahmed Mahfouz,
Abdullah F. Shater,
Fayez M. Saleh,
Mohamed M. Hassan,
Walaa F. Alsanie,
Abdullah Altalhi,
Ghadir E. Daigham,
Amira Y. Mahfouz
Affiliations
Sawsan Abd Ellatif
Bioprocess Development Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute (GEBRI), City for Scientific Research and Technology Applications, New Borg El-Arab, Alexandria 21934, Egypt
Elsayed S. Abdel Razik
Plant Protection and Biomolecular Diagnosis Department, Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute, City for Scientific Research and Technology Applications, New Borg El-Arab, Alexandria 21934, Egypt
Marwa M. Abu-Serie
Medical Biotechnology Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute (GEBRI), City of Scientific Research and Technology Applications, New Borg El-Arab, Alexandria 21934, Egypt
Ahmed Mahfouz
National Health Service Foundation Trust (NHS), Manchester University, Manchester M14 5RH, UK
Abdullah F. Shater
Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia
Fayez M. Saleh
Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed M. Hassan
Department of Biology, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Walaa F. Alsanie
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, The Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Abdullah Altalhi
Department of Biology, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Ghadir E. Daigham
Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University (Girls Branch), Cairo 11651, Egypt
Amira Y. Mahfouz
Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University (Girls Branch), Cairo 11651, Egypt
The utilization of fermented foods with health-promoting properties is becoming more popular around the world. Consequently, kefir, a fermented milk beverage made from kefir grains, was shown in numerous studies to be a probiotic product providing significant health benefits. Herein, we assessed the antibacterial and antifungal potential of kefir against a variety of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. This study also showed the effectiveness of kefir in healing wounds in human gastric epithelial cells (GES-1) by (80.78%) compared with control (55.75%) within 48 h. The quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) results of kefir-treated HCV- or HBV- infected cells found that 200 µg/mL of kefir can eliminate 92.36% of HCV and 75.71% of HBV relative to the untreated infected cells, whereas 800 µg/mL (the highest concentration) completely eradicated HCV and HBV. Moreover, the estimated IC50 values of kefir, at which HCV and HBV were eradicated by 50%, were 63.84 ± 5.81 µg/mL and 224.02 ± 14.36 µg/mL, correspondingly. Kefir can significantly suppress the elevation of TNF-α and upregulate IL-10 and INF-γ in both treated HCV- and HBV-infected cells. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of kefir revealed the presence of numerous active metabolites which mainly contribute to the antimicrobial, antiviral, and immunomodulatory activities. This study demonstrated, for the first time, the anti-HBV efficacy of kefir while also illustrating the immunomodulatory impact in the treated HBV-infected cells. Accordingly, kefir represents a potent antiviral agent against both viral hepatitis C and B, as well as having antimicrobial and wound healing potential.
