Abstract
The healthy vaginal microbiota is dominated by Lactobacillus spp., which provide an important critical line of defense against pathogens, as well as giving beneficial effects to the host. We characterized L. gasseri 1A-TV, L. fermentum 18A-TV, and L. crispatus 35A-TV, from the vaginal microbiota of healthy premenopausal women, for their potential probiotic activities. The antimicrobial effects of the 3 strains and their combination against clinical urogenital bacteria were evaluated together with the activities of their metabolites produced by cell-free supernatants (CFSs). Their beneficial properties in terms of ability to interfere with vaginal pathogens (co-aggregation, adhesion to HeLa cells, biofilm formation) and antimicrobial activity mediated by CFSs were assessed against multidrug urogenital pathogens (S. agalactiae, E. coli, KPC-producing K. pneumoniae, S. aureus, E. faecium VRE, E. faecalis, P. aeruginosa, P. mirabilis, P. vulgaris, C. albicans, C. glabrata). The Lactobacilli tested exhibited an extraordinary ability to interfere and co-aggregate with urogenital pathogens, except for Candida spp., as well as to adhere to HeLa cells and to produce biofilm in the Lactobacillus combination. Lactobacillus CFSs and their combination revealed a strong bactericidal effect on the multidrug resistant indicator strains tested, except for E. faecium and E. faecalis. The antimicrobial activity was maintained after heat treatment but decreased after enzymatic treatment. All Lactobacilli showed lactic dehydrogenase activity and production of D- and L-lactic acid isomers on Lactobacillus CFSs, while only 1A-TV and 35A-TV released hydrogen peroxide and carried helveticin J and acidocin A bacteriocins. These results suggest that they can be employed as a new vaginal probiotic formulation and bio-therapeutic preparation against urogenital infections. Further, in vivo studies are needed to evaluate human health benefits in clinical situations.