Gallic Acid Both Inhibits and Promotes the Growth of Lactobacillus plantarum
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Abstract:
The effects of gallic acid (GA) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on the growth of Lactobacillus plantarum CICC 6253 were investigated by monitoring the microbial growth curves, concentration changes of the polyphenols, and pH changes of the culture media. GA and EGCG each exhibited two-way regulatory effects on L. plantarum, both inhibiting and promoting the growth of the bacterium in a concentration-dependent manner, and there were differences in structure–activity relationship between the two effects. L. plantarum growth was inhibited at GA and EGCG concentrations above 5 mg/mL and 7 mg/mL, respectively. In contrast, the growth of the bacterium was promoted at GA and EGCG concentrations below 4 mg/mL and 6 mg/mL, respectively, with the effect increasing with increasing concentrations of the polyphenols. GA served as a carbon source that could be rapidly utilized by L. plantarum, whereas EGCG (4 mg/mL) effectively promoted the proliferation of the strain owing to its good cell affinity. The total number of colonies on the EGCG- containing medium increased from 7.16 lg CFU/mL to 12.54 lg CFU/mL in 28 h, which was an increase of more than two orders of magnitude compared with the control group. Both GA and EGCG showed two-way regulatory effects on L. plantarum, but EGCG exhibited superior prebiotic properties. The results of this study can serve as a reference for the use of GA, EGCG, and similar food-derived polyphenols in regulating the growth of probiotics and for the research and development of related foods.
