Galactomannan and Vicilin from Fenugreek Seeds (Trigonella foenum-graecum) Impair Early Pathogen-Host Interaction of Campylobacter jejuni with Intestinal Cells via JlpA

Abstract

Campylobacter jejuni is the leading cause of severe enteritis worldwide. Identification of natural products against C. jejuni that inhibit early-stage host-pathogen interactions is a promising strategy, particularly by blocking bacterial adhesion to and invasion into the host cells. This should help to reduce the bacterial load in vector animals. From the seeds of Trigonella foenum-graecum, an aqueous extract (fenugreek high molecular fraction) of high-molecular compounds (polysaccharides, proteins) was obtained. The polysaccharide was characterized as galactomannan (1,4-mannose backbone, substituted at O-6 with single galactose residues and galactose oligosaccharide chains). The protein part consisted of 50 kDa vicilin as the main compound. The fenugreek high molecular fraction did not influence proliferation of C. jejuni and viability of Caco-2 cells (1 – 1000 µg/mL). The fenugreek high molecular fraction reduced bacterial adhesion to Caco-2 significantly (500 – 1000 µg/mL), which was due to an interaction with the bacterial adhesin JlpA, preventing the interaction of this outer membrane protein to its ligand HSP90α (IC₅₀ = 23.4 µg/mL). Bacterial invasion was reduced significantly. Both polysaccharides as well as vicilin contribute to the observed antiadhesive effect. As vicilin-like proteins are widely found in plants from the Fabaceae family, a vicilin-enriched protein preparation from Pisum sativum was investigated for antiadhesive activity. These findings suggest that fenugreek seeds or vicilin-rich plant extracts could be used to develop novel strategies to control C. jejuni infections in food-producing animals, ultimately helping to decrease the prevalence of campylobacteriosis in humans.

Keywords

adhesion - Campylobacter jejuni - Trigonella foenum-graecum - Fabaceae - fenugreek - JlpA - vicilin

• References

• 1 European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Campylobacteriosis. Annual Epidemiological Report for 2021. Accessed August 16, 2023 at: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/campylobacteriosis-annual-epidemiological-report-2021.pdf
• 2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Campylobacter (Campylobacteriosis). Accessed November 26, 2024 at: https://www.cdc.gov/campylobacter/hcp/clinical-overview/index.html
• 3 Kaakoush NO, Castaño-Rodríguez N, Mitchell HM, Man SM. Global epidemiology of Campylobacter infection. Clin Microbiol Rev 2015; 28: 687-720
• 4 World Health Organization. Campylobacter . Accessed November 8, 2024 at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/campylobacter
• 5 Ruiz-Palacios GM. The health burden of Campylobacter infection and the impact of antimicrobial resistance: Playing chicken. Clin Infect Dis 2007; 44: 701-703
• 6 Kemper L, Hensel A. Campylobacter jejuni: Targeting host cells, adhesion, invasion, and survival. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2023; 107: 2725-2754
• 7 Kreling V, Falcone FH, Kehrenberg C, Hensel A. Campylobacter sp.: Pathogenicity factors and prevention methods-new molecular targets for innovative antivirulence drugs?. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2020; 104: 10409-10436
• 8 Robert Koch-Institut. Campylobacter-Enteritis – Risikofaktoren und Infektionsquellen in Deutschland. Accessed August 8, 2023 at: https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/EpidBull/Archiv/2017/Ausgaben/44_17.pdf?__blob=publicationFile
• 9 Mills S, Ross RP, Hill C, Fitzgerald GF, Stanton C. Milk intelligence: Mining milk for bioactive substances associated with human health. Int Dairy J 2011; 21: 377-401
• 10 Kreling V, Falcone FH, Herrmann F, Kemper L, Amiteye D, Cord-Landwehr S, Kehrenberg C, Moerschbacher BM, Hensel A. High molecular/low acetylated chitosans reduce adhesion of Campylobacter jejuni to host cells by blocking JlpA. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2024; 108: 171
• 11 Ramirez-Hernandez A, Rupnow J, Hutkins RW. Adherence reduction of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli strains to HEp-2 cells by mannan oligosaccharides and a high-molecular-weight component of cranberry extract. J Food Prot 2015; 78: 1496-1505
• 12 Baurhoo B, Ferket PR, Zhao X. Effects of diets containing different concentrations of mannanoligosaccharide or antibiotics on growth performance, intestinal development, cecal and litter microbial populations, and carcass parameters of broilers. Poult Sci 2009; 88: 2262-2272
• 13 Corrigan A, Fay BJ, Corcionivoschi N, Murphy RA. Effect of yeast mannan-rich fractions on reducing Campylobacter colonization in broiler chickens. J Appl Poult Res 2017; 26: 350-357
• 14 Wittschier N, Lengsfeld C, Vorthems S, Stratmann U, Ernst JF, Verspohl EJ, Hensel A. Large molecules as anti-adhesive compounds against pathogens. J Pharm Pharmacol 2007; 59: 777-786
• 15 Blaschek W. ed. Wichtl – Teedrogen und Phytopharmaka: Ein Handbuch für die Praxis, 6th ed. Stuttgart: Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH; 2016
• 16 Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. European Union herbal monograph on Trigonella foenum-graecum L., semen. Accessed October 24, 2024 at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/herbal-monograph/european-union-herbal-monograph-trigonella-foenum-graecum-l-semen-revision-1_en.pdf
• 17 Zeng X, Chen Y, Li W, Liu S. Application of fenugreek in ruminant feed: Implications for methane emissions and productivity. PeerJ 2024; 12: e16842
• 18 Ramesh H. Two-dimensional NMR spectroscopic studies of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) galactomannan without chemical fragmentation. Carbohydr Polym 2001; 45: 69-77
• 19 Faeste CK, Christians U, Egaas E, Jonscher KR. Characterization of potential allergens in fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) using patient sera and MS-based proteomic analysis. J Proteomics 2010; 73: 1321-1333
• 20 Mosmann T. Rapid colorimetric assay for cellular growth and survival: application to proliferation and cytotoxicity assays. J Immunol Methods 1983; 65: 55-63
• 21 Flanagan RC, Neal-McKinney JM, Dhillon AS, Miller WG, Konkel ME. Examination of Campylobacter jejuni putative adhesins leads to the identification of a new protein, designated FlpA, required for chicken colonization. Infect Immun 2009; 77: 2399-2407
• 22 Larson CL, Samuelson DR, Eucker TP, OʼLoughlin JL, Konkel ME. The fibronectin-binding motif within FlpA facilitates Campylobacter jejuni adherence to host cell and activation of host cell signaling. Emerg Microbes Infect 2013; 2: e65
• 23 Talukdar PK, Negretti NM, Turner KL, Konkel ME. Molecular dissection of the Campylobacter jejuni CadF and FlpA virulence proteins in binding to host cell fibronectin. Microorganisms 2020; 8: 389
• 24 Konkel ME, Talukdar PK, Negretti NM, Klappenbach CM. Taking control: Campylobacter jejuni binding to fibronectin sets the stage for cellular adherence and invasion. Front Microbiol 2020; 11: 564
• 25 Jin S, Joe A, Lynett J, Hani EK, Sherman P, Chan VL. JlpA, a novel surface-exposed lipoprotein specific to Campylobacter jejuni, mediates adherence to host epithelial cells. Mol Microbiol 2001; 39: 1225-1236
• 26 Jin S, Song YC, Emili A, Sherman PM, Chan VL. JlpA of Campylobacter jejuni interacts with surface-exposed heat shock protein 90alpha and triggers signalling pathways leading to the activation of NF-kappaB and p 38 MAP kinase in epithelial cells. Cell Microbiol 2003; 5: 165-174
• 27 Kawai F, Paek S, Choi KJ, Prouty M, Kanipes MI, Guerry P, Yeo HJ. Crystal structure of JlpA, a surface-exposed lipoprotein adhesin of Campylobacter jejuni . J Struct Biol 2012; 177: 583-588
• 28 Gil-Salido AA, Rojas-Cabeza JF, Sotelo-Mundo RR, Islas-Osuna MA. Role of Vicilin in Plant Defense. In: Santosh Kumar Upadhyay Defense-Related Proteins in Plants. Elsevier; 2024: 379-395
• 29 Niehues M, Euler M, Georgi G, Mank M, Stahl B, Hensel A. Peptides from Pisum sativum L. enzymatic protein digest with anti-adhesive activity against Helicobacter pylori: structure-activity and inhibitory activity against BabA, SabA, HpaA and a fibronectin-binding adhesin. Mol Nutr Food Res 2010; 54: 1851-1861
• 30 Lengsfeld C, Faller G, Hensel A. Okra polysaccharides inhibit adhesion of Campylobacter jejuni to mucosa isolated from poultry in vitro but not in vivo . Anim Feed Sci Technol 2007; 135: 113-125
• 31 Parente F, Cucino C, Anderloni A, Grandinetti G, Bianchi Porro G. Treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection using a novel antiadhesion compound (3′sialyllactose sodium salt). A double blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. Helicobacter 2003; 8: 252-256
• 32 Herrmann A, König S, Lechtenberg M, Sehlbach M, Vakhrushev SY, Peter-Katalinic J, Hensel A. Proteoglycans from Boswellia serrata Roxb. and B. carteri Birdw. and identification of a proteolytic plant basic secretory protein. Glycobiology 2012; 22: 1424-1439
• 33 Sehlbach M, König S, Mormann M, Sendker J, Hensel A. Arabinogalactan protein cluster from Jatropha curcas seed embryo contains fasciclin, xylogen and LysM proteins. Carbohydr Polym 2013; 98: 522-531
• 34 Blakeney AB, Harris PJ, Henry RJ, Stone BA. A simple and rapid preparation of alditol acetates for monosaccharide analysis. Carbohydr Res 1983; 113: 291-299
• 35 Monsigny M, Petit C, Roche AC. Colorimetric determination of neutral sugars by a resorcinol sulfuric acid micromethod. Anal Biochem 1988; 175: 525-530
• 36 Blumenkrantz N, Asboe-Hansen G. New method for quantitative determination of uronic acids. Anal Biochem 1973; 54: 484-489
• 37 Koltzscher M, Neumann C, König S, Gerke V. Ca2+-dependent binding and activation of dormant ezrin by dimeric S100P. Mol Biol Cell 2003; 14: 2372-2384
• 38 Field LH, Underwood JL, Payne SM, Berry LJ. Characteristics of an avirulent Campylobacter jejuni strain and its virulence-enhanced variants. J Med Microbiol 1993; 38: 293-300
• 39 Jumarie C, Malo C. Caco-2 cells cultured in serum-free medium as a model for the study of enterocytic differentiation in vitro . J Cell Physiol 1991; 149: 24-33