Potential of Cell-Free Supernatant from <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> NIBR97, Including Novel Bacteriocins, as a Natural Alternative to Chemical Disinfectants

• Main Authors: Sam Woong Kim, Song I. Kang, Da Hye Shin, Se Yun Oh, Chae Won Lee, Yoonyong Yang, Youn Kyoung Son, Hee-Sun Yang, Byoung-Hee Lee, Hee-Jung An, In Sil Jeong, Woo Young Bang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-09-01
• Series: Pharmaceuticals
• Subjects: AMP; antimicrobial activity; antiviral activity; bacteriocin; COVID-19; disinfectant
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/13/10/266

The recent pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has increased demand for chemical disinfectants, which can be potentially hazardous to users. Here, we suggest that the cell-free supernatant from <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> NIBR97, including novel bacteriocins, has potential as a natural alternative to chemical disinfectants. It exhibits significant antibacterial activities against a broad range of pathogens, and was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to cause cellular lysis through pore formation in bacterial membranes, implying that its antibacterial activity may be mediated by peptides or proteins and supported by proteinase K treatment. It also showed significant antiviral activities against HIV-based lentivirus and influenza A/H3N2, causing lentiviral lysis through envelope collapse. Furthermore, whole-genome sequencing revealed that NIBR97 has diverse antimicrobial peptides, and among them are five novel bacteriocins, designated as plantaricin 1 to 5. Plantaricin 3 and 5 in particular showed both antibacterial and antiviral activities. SEM revealed that plantaricin 3 causes direct damage to both bacterial membranes and viral envelopes, while plantaricin 5 damaged only bacterial membranes, implying different antiviral mechanisms. Our data suggest that the cell-free supernatant from <i>L. plantarum</i> NIBR97, including novel bacteriocins, is potentially useful as a natural alternative to chemical disinfectants.