Acne dysbiosis happens when there is a microbial imbalance of the over-growth of Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) in the acne microbiome. In our previous study, we demonstrated that Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis, a probiotic skin bacterium) can exploit glycerol fermentation to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) which have antimicrobial activities to suppress the growth of P. acnes. Unlike glycerol, sucrose is chosen here as a selective fermentation initiator (SFI) that can specifically intensify the fermentation activity of S. epidermidis, but not P. acnes. A co-culture of P. acnes and fermenting S. epidermidis in the presence of sucrose significantly led to a reduction in the growth of P. acnes. The reduction was abolished when P. acnes was co-cultured with non-fermenting S. epidermidis. Results from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis revealed four SCFAs (acetic acid, butyric acid, lactic acid, and succinic acid) were detectable in the media of S. epidermidis sucrose fermentation. To validate the interference of S. epidermidis sucrose fermentation with P. acnes, mouse ears were injected with both P. acnes and S. epidermidis plus sucrose or phosphate buffered saline (PBS). The level of macrophage-inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) and the number of P. acnes in ears injected with two bacteria plus sucrose were considerably lower than those in ears injected with two bacteria plus PBS. Our results demonstrate a precision microbiome approach by using sucrose as a SFI for S. epidermidis, holding future potential as a novel modality to equilibrate dysbiotic acne.

Antibiotics without selectivity for acne treatment may destroy the beneficial microbes in the human microbiome that helps to fight Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes), a bacterium associated with inflammatory acne vulgaris. Probiotic treatment by direct application of live Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) onto the open acne lesions may run the risk of bloodstream infections. Here, we fabricated the polysulfone microtube array membranes (PSF MTAM) to encapsulate probiotic S. epidermidis. We demonstrate that the application of the encapsulation of S. epidermidis in PSF MTAM enhanced the glycerol fermentation activities of S. epidermidis. To mimic the granulomatous type of acne inflammatory acne vulgaris, the ears of mice were injected intradermally with C. acnes to induce the secretion of macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2), a murine counterpart of human interleukin (IL)-8. The C. acnes-injected mouse ears were covered with a PST MTAM encapsulated with or without S. epidermidis in the presence of glycerol. The application of S. epidermidis-encapsulated PST MTAM plus glycerol onto the C. acnes-injected mouse ears considerably reduced the growth of C. acnes and the production of MIP-2. Furthermore, no S. epidermidis leaked from PSF MTAM into mouse skin. The S. epidermidis-encapsulated PST MTAM functions as a probiotic acne patch.

The probiotic activity of skin Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) bacteria can elicit diverse biological functions via the fermentation of various carbon sources. Here, we found that polyethylene glycol (PEG)-8 Laurate, a carbon-rich molecule, can selectively induce the fermentation of S. epidermidis, not Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes), a bacterium associated with acne vulgaris. The PEG-8 Laurate fermentation of S. epidermidis remarkably diminished the growth of C. acnes and the C. acnes-induced production of pro-inflammatory macrophage-inflammatory protein 2 (MIP-2) cytokines in mice. Fermentation media enhanced the anti-C. acnes activity of a low dose (0.1%) clindamycin, a prescription antibiotic commonly used to treat acne vulgaris, in terms of the suppression of C. acnes colonization and MIP-2 production. Furthermore, PEG-8 Laurate fermentation of S. epidermidis boosted the activity of 0.1% clindamycin to reduce the sizes of C. acnes colonies. Our results demonstrated, for the first time, that the PEG-8 Laurate fermentation of S. epidermidis displayed the adjuvant effect on promoting the efficacy of low-dose clindamycin against C. acnes. Targeting C. acnes by lowering the required doses of antibiotics may avoid the risk of creating drug-resistant C. acnes and maintain the bacterial homeostasis in the skin microbiome, leading to a novel modality for the antibiotic treatment of acne vulgaris.

The mechanism behind how flavin mononucleotide (FMN)-producing bacteria attach to a host intestine remains unclear. In order to address this issue, this study isolated the Gram-positive bacteria Lactobacillus plantarum from Mongolian fermented Airag, named L. plantarum MA. These bacteria were further employed as the model microbes, and their electrogenic properties were first identified by their significant expression of type II NADH-quinone oxidoreductase. This study also demonstrated that the electrical activity of L. plantarum MA can be conducted through flavin mononucleotide (FMN)-based extracellular electron transfer, which is highly dependent on the presence of a carbon source in the medium. Our data show that approximately 15 µM of FMN, one of the key electron donors for the generation of electricity, can be produced from L. plantarum MA, as they were cultured in the presence of lactulose for 24 h. We further demonstrated that the electrical activity of L. plantarum MA can promote microbial adhesion and can thus enhance the colonization effectiveness of Caco-2 cells and mouse cecum. Such enhanced adhesiveness was attributed to the increased expression of type I collagens in the intestinal epithelium after treatment with L. plantarum MA. This study reveals the mechanism behind the electrogenic activity of L. plantarum MA and shows how the bacteria utilize electricity to modulate the protein expression of gut tissue for an enhanced adhesion process.

Background: Limited attention paid to acne vulgaris has hindered progress in studying its pathological mechanisms and developing new treatments. While direct evidence confirming Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) as the initial trigger of acne vulgaris is scarce, the bacterium clearly drives inflammation within acne lesions. Material and methods: Mass spectrometric analysis demonstrated that C. acnes lipase digested triglycerides into various fatty acids, which increased sebum production in sebocytes. The secretory lipase was selected as an immunogenic antigen to generate antibodies in mice. Serum from mice vaccinated with C. acnes lipase was used to assess antibody titers via test strips. Pro-inflammatory interleukin-6 (IL-6) and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) expression were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Passive immunization with neutralization antibodies to lipase was conducted by administering anti-lipase serum co-cultured with C. acnes. Results: Palmitic acid, a lipase-derived fatty acid, was identified as a major pro-inflammatory stimulus in sebocytes, confirming the central role of lipase in acne inflammation. Mice vaccinated with C. acnes lipase showed protection against C. acnes-induced inflammation in an ear model. Therefore, neutralization antibodies to lipase significantly reduced C. acnes-induced production of pro-inflammatory IL-6 and MIP-2. Conclusions: The C. acnes secretory lipase is a key virulence factor contributing to acne inflammation. Vaccination with C. acnes lipase significantly reduced bacterial colonization and the production of pro-inflammatory IL-6 and MIP-2. These findings support the potential of C. acnes lipase-targeted vaccines as a novel, antigen-specific strategy for both the treatment and prevention of acne vulgaris.

Coconut meal is an agricultural waste that has not been widely utilized but still contains nutrients. This study aims to evaluate the effect of fermentation on the protein, fat, and carbohydrate content of coconut meal. Three main treatments were compared: unfermented coconut meal, coconut meal fermented with Rhizopus sp., and coconut meal fermented with EM4. The results of the analysis showed that unfermented coconut meal had a protein content of 34,77%, fat 8,84%, and carbohydrate 27,73%. Fermentation with Rhizopus sp. increased the protein content to 37,37%, decreased the fat content to 6.11%, and slightly increased the carbohydrate content to 23,04%. Meanwhile, fermentation with EM4 increased the protein content to 35.87%, decreased the fat content to 6.55%, and increased the carbohydrate content to 26.86%. Based on the results of the study, fermentation with Rhizopus sp. was more effective in increasing protein content and decreasing fat content compared to fermentation with EM4. Fermentation with EM4 showed a significant increase in carbohydrate content. In conclusion, the fermentation process can improve the nutritional quality of coconut meal, so that it can be a more nutritious alternative as animal feed