In vitro inhibition of adhesion of enteropathogens by xylitol

Abstract

Xylitol, a five-carbon polyalcohol, has several clinical applications such as the anti-adherent action on many bacteria. Currently,with the emergence of microorganisms resistant to conventional antibiotics, researches for new strategies are necessary, aimingat preventing and/or treating diseases caused by the presence of such pathogens. The present study aimed to evaluate xylitol’santimicrobial and anti-adherence activities on the strain Shigella flexneri ATCC 12022 and on the clinical strains (isolated frompatients) Shigella flexneri and Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium. In vitro, the antimicrobial and anti-adherent activitieswere tested using 0.5%, 2.5% and 5.0% xylitol. The slides of anti-adherent activity were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM). It was found that xylitol does not have antimicrobial properties on the strains tested. However, it was demonstrated, bySEM microphotographs, the inhibition of microbial adherence in slides treated with xylitol, and this is probably the mechanismof action of this compound. This study gives xylitol a greater added value, turning it into an appropriate biomolecule for useas an adjuvant therapeutic, alternative to the use of conventional antibiotics, for the treatment of recurrent infections of thegastrointestinal tract.