The antimicrobial compound reuterin (3-hydroxypropionaldehyde)induces oxidative stress via interaction with thiol groups

摘要

Reuterin is an antimicrobial compound produced by , and has been proposed to mediate, in part, the probiotichealth benefits ascribed to this micro-organism. Despite 20 years ofinvestigation, the mechanism of action by which reuterin exerts itsantimicrobial effects has remained elusive. Here we provide evidence thatreuterin induces oxidative stress in cells, most likely by modifying thiolgroups in proteins and small molecules. cellssubjected to sublethal levels of reuterin expressed a set of genes thatoverlapped with the set of genes composing the OxyR regulon, which senses andresponds to various forms of oxidative stress. cellsmutated for were more sensitive to reuterin compared withwild-type cells, further supporting a role for reuterin in exerting oxidativestress. The addition of cysteine to or growth media prior to exposure toreuterin suppressed the antimicrobial effect of reuterin on these bacteria.Interestingly, interaction with stimulated reuterinproduction or secretion by , indicating that contactwith other microbes in the gut increases reuterin output. Thus, reuterininhibits bacterial growth by modifying thiol groups, which indicates thatreuterin negatively affects a large number of cellular targets.