{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Gum Arabic Increases Phagocytosis of Escherichia coli by Blood Leukocytes of Young and Old Healthy Volunteers.
{Author}: Freibrodt C;Baien S;von Köckritz-Blickwede M;de Buhr N;Nau R;Seele J;
{Journal}: Antibiotics (Basel)
{Volume}: 13
{Issue}: 6
{Year}: 2024 May 24
{Factor}: 5.222
{DOI}: 10.3390/antibiotics13060482
{Abstract}: <B>BACKGROUND: </B>Gum arabic, a polysaccharide exudate from Acacia senegal (L.) Willdenow trees, has already been used by African native people in natural medicine.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>Using whole-blood samples from young (20-35 years) and older (>80 years) healthy volunteers (each group n = 10), the effect of an aqueous solution of GA on phagocytosis of Escherichia coli was examined with a gentamicin protection assay. Whole-blood samples of each volunteer were stimulated with GA and as a control with CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (Toll-like receptor -9 agonists) for 2 h, then co-incubated with E. coli for 30 min and thereafter treated with gentamicin for up to 240 min to kill extracellular bacteria. Then, whole-blood cells were lysed with distilled water, and colony-forming units were counted by quantitative plating. Cytokine enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of TNF-α and IL-6 was performed using the blood supernatant.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>The GA concentration tested (20 mg/mL) did not affect the viability of eukaryotic cells. Phagocytosis of E. coli by whole-blood leukocytes derived from young (p = 0.008) and older (p = 0.004) healthy volunteers was increased by 120.8% (young) and 39.2% (old) after stimulation with GA. In contrast, CpG only stimulated the bacterial phagocytosis by cells derived from young volunteers (p = 0.004). Stimulation of whole blood with GA increased the intracellular killing of E. coli in young (p = 0.045) and older volunteers (p = 0.008) and induced a TNF-α release in whole blood collected from older volunteers but not from younger ones (p = 0.008).<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>These data encourage the isolation of active compounds of GA and the initiation of clinical trials addressing the preventive effect of GA on bacterial infections.