Posted on 9/1/2010, 5:04:11 PM by decimon
New research expands the scope of previous pioneering work by Worcester Polytechnic Institute researchers on the mechanisms of bacterial infection
WORCESTER, Mass. – Expanding their scope of study on the mechanisms of bacterial infection, researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) have reported the surprise finding from a small clinical study that cranberry juice cocktail blocked a strain of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) from beginning the process of infection.
The data was reported in a poster presentation at the American Chemical Society's national meeting in Boston on August 23, 2010, by Terri Camesano, professor of chemical engineering at WPI. "Most of our work with cranberry juice has been with E. coli and urinary tract infections, but we included Staphylococcus aureus in this study because it is a very serious health threat," Camesano said. "This is early data, but the results are surprising."
The virulent form of E. coli that Camesano studies is the primary cause of most urinary tract infections. Strains of S. aureus can cause a range of "staph infections" from minor skin rashes to serious bloodstream infections. One particular strain, known as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is a growing public health problem in hospitals, nursing homes, and other institutions because it doesn't respond to most antibiotics.
To cause an infection, bacteria must first adhere to a host, then gather together in colonies to form a biofilm. In the current study, Camesano recruited healthy female students at WPI to drink either cranberry juice cocktail or a placebo fluid that looked and tasted like cranberry juice. The subjects provides urine samples at prescribed intervals after drinking the juice or placebo, and those samples were incubated in petri dishes with several strains of E. coli and a single strain of S. aureus. Camesano's team stained the bacteria with a special dye, then used a spectrophotometer to measure the density of the bacterial colonies in the dishes over time. Their analysis showed that the urine samples from subjects who had recently consumed cranberry juice cocktail significantly reduced the ability of E. coli and S. aureus to form biofilms on the surface of the dishes.
"What was surprising is that Staphylococcus aureus showed the most significant results in this study," Camesano said. "We saw essentially no biofilm in the staph samples, which is very surprising because Staph aureus is usually very good at forming biofilms. That's what makes it such a health problem."
With E. coli, Camesano's focal point is the small hair-like projections known as fimbriae, which act like hooks and help the bacteria latch onto cells that line the urinary tract. Camesano has shown that exposure to cranberry juice causes the fimbriae on E. coli to curl up, blunting their ability to attach to cells. S. aureous, however, doesn't have fimbirae, so there must be other reasons why the cranberry juice affected its biofilm formation in the study. "These results do create more questions than answers," Camesano said. "We believe this is an important new area to explore, and we are now thinking about how best to proceed."
Since bacterial adhesion is required for infection, Camesano hopes that better understanding of the specific mechanisms and forces involved in biofilm formation will help inform future studies aimed at identifying potential drug targets for new antibiotics. The data may also be useful in studies aimed at engineering the surfaces of invasive medical devices like catheters to make them more resistant to bacterial adhesion.
###
The research detailed in the current study was supported by grants from the Cranberry Institute and the Wisconsin Cranberry Board.
About Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Founded in 1865 in Worcester, Mass., WPI was one of the nation's first engineering and technology universities. Its14 academic departments offer more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, management, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts, leading to bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees. WPI's world-class faculty work with students in a number of cutting-edge research areas, leading to breakthroughs and innovations in such fields as biotechnology, fuel cells, information security, materials processing, and nanotechnology. Students also have the opportunity to make a difference to communities and organizations around the world through the university's innovative Global Perspective Program. There are more than 25 WPI project centers throughout North America and Central America, Africa, Australia, Asia, and Europe.
Ping
Great stuff cranberry juice. I know it clears up the occasional bladder infection when caught early.
bump
Could help curb the overuse of anitbiotics.
I know it does amazing things for my vodka. ;)
Wish they had also tested the efficacy of cranberry concentrate food supplements in pill form. Cranberry juice has to be sweetened, and has a lot of calories.
There is a liquid concentrate w/o sweetener. It has been years, but I remember finding it in little cardboard cartons at a health food store. It was years ago, but it cleared up a bladder infection quickly. The tablets work, too.
I hope so. And I like seeing this kind of research.
Some women’s vitamins contain cranberry extract.
There is also Craisins.
Heart patients taking blood thinner Warfarin are told not to drink cranberry juice because it enhances the performance of the drug and can result in internal hemmorhages. Just a warning for folks on coumadin.
I love Craisins! My favorite salad is spinach, feta cheese, craisins, almonds and vinagrette,
Cranberry Pills are specially formulated nutritional supplements designed to deliver all the health benefits associated with cranberries.
The pills are widely available in health food stores, and can be used to alleviate several health complaints. Because cranberry pills offer a concentrated form of cranberries, they offer more nutritional value than most commercial cranberry juices.
One of the advantages of cranberry juice pills is that they are a great way to get the health benefits of cranberries without having to drink diluted juices and juice blends.
Depending on the composition of the cranberry tablets, a single cranberry pill may have a nutritional value similar to anywhere from seven to ten glasses of cranberry juice. Because of the higher concentration of nutrients, it is possible to begin experiencing benefits from the cranberry supplements in a relatively short period of time.
The benefits of cranberry pills cover a wide range of ailments. One of the more common uses of the pills is to minimize the pain experienced with a bladder infection. The properties of the cranberry compound help to soothe any inflammation and can work with various medications to help the body heal. Taking cranberry pills from time to time may also help prevent bladder infections from occurring.
Cranberry capsules can also help with the common male ailment of jock itch. Part of the reason that the cranberry pills help is that the combination of vitamins and nutrients contains in the cranberry help to restore a proper PH balance and ease the inflammation that causes the condition. The pills work much better than drinking commercially produced juices, since the pills contain pure cranberry juice.
In general, cranberry pills can help control free radicals in the body. The antioxidant qualities of the pills stem in part from the diverse blend of nutrients found in the juice. Vitamins A and C, along with most of the B vitamins are present in at least trace amounts. Important minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium are also found in cranberry pills.
And the bottles are all opaque, so you can't even see the capsules inside before you buy.
I appreciate this since this involves using nature made stuff than man made chemicals. I have a bottle of 100% cranberry juice but I can switch to cranberry pills once I use up the juice.
You cymbalize all that’s wrong with this forum.
You cowbell right about that.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
