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Marine macroalgae as a source for osmoprotection for Escherichia coli

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Abstract

At elevated osmolarity of the mineral medium M63, marine macroalgae constitute important osmoprotectants and nutrients sources for Escherichia coli. Growth of bacterial population (16 strains) was improved by supplementing M63 salts medium with either aqueous or ethanolic algal extracts obtained from Ascophyllum nodosum, Fucus serratus, Enteromorpha ramulosa, Ulva lactuca, and Palmaria palmata. In their presence, growth was still observed even at 1.02 m NaCl. Furthermore, the E. coli ZB400 growth in presence of whole macroalgae thalli in M63/0.85 m NaCI reached its maximum within 24 h (5 × 107 − 5 × 108 colony-forming units [CFU] per milliliter). In the presence of A. nodosum, bacterial growth was inhibited. In the same experimental conditions, ethanolic extracts improved E. coli growth significantly, because the yield reached 1011 CFU per milliliter. Ulva lactuca and P. palmata allowed the better growth. The Dragendorff-positive compounds extracted from bacterial cells growing on each ethanolic extract exhibited an osmoprotective effect as proved by a disk-diffusion assay. On the other hand, the -onium compounds (quaternary ammonium [betaines] and tertiary sulphonium) and total free amino acid contents of U. lactuca ethanolic extracts were higher than in others. Fucaceae extracts demonstrated especially high protein content. Algal extracts constitute not only an appreciable osmoprotection source for E. coli but also nutrient sources.

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Author notes

  1. M. Ghoul

    Present address: Laboratoire d'Ecologie Microbienne, Institut de Biologie, Université de Sétif-19000, Algeria

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IFREMER, URM 10, Laboratoire de Microbiologie, Faculté de Pharmacie, 2 Avenue du Professeur Léon Bernard, 35043, Rennes Cédex, France

    M. Ghoul & J. Minet

  2. Laboratoire de Génétique et Physiologie microbiennes, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042, Rennes Cédex, France

    T. Bernard

  3. URM 10, Laboratoire de microbiologie, IFREMER Centre de Brest, BP70, 29280, Plouzane, France

    E. Dupray & M. Cormier

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  1. M. Ghoul
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  2. J. Minet
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  3. T. Bernard
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  4. E. Dupray
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  5. M. Cormier
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Correspondence to: J. Minet

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Ghoul, M., Minet, J., Bernard, T. et al. Marine macroalgae as a source for osmoprotection for Escherichia coli . Microb Ecol 30, 171–181 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00172572

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00172572

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