Passiflora edulis extract effects on probiotic and pathogenic modulation for healthier microbiota

The mechanism of adhesion of pathogenic bacteria in intestinal epithelial cells is essential in the process of colonization by these pathogens and subsequent intestinal infection. On the other hand, adhesion of probiotic bacteria can inhibit pathogen adhesion and infection by blocking specific receptors by competitive exclusion mechanisms and confers health benefits by other means. To find a safe product that would be able to promote, simultaneously, the adhesion of probiotic strains and inhibit the adhesion of pathogens was the main goal of this work. We evaluated the effects of Passiflora edulis leaf aqueous extract on the adhesion of three probiotic (Lactobacillus rhamnosus, MB154; Lactobacillus casei, MB151; and Bifidobacterium lactis) and four pathogenic strains (Escherichia coli 11229, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enteritidis, and Salmonella typhimurium) to Caco-2 monolayers, in vitro human intestinal epithelial model. Passiflora edulis extract (5 and 10 mg mL−1) increased the adhesion of all probiotic strains tested in a range from around 150 up to 880%, depending on the strain tested. For the pathogenic strains, on the other hand, the extract mainly decreased adhesion in significant rates for all tested microorganisms. Passiflora edulis leaf extract is an interesting source of phenolic compounds that showed to be a potential microbiota-modulating product, stimulating the adhesion of probiotic bacteria, and inhibits the adhesion of pathogens strains. This extract has a great potential for the development of a symbiotic supplement, along with probiotic supplementation.