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Impact of Acidity and Metal Ion on the Antibacterial Activity and Mechanisms of β- and α-Chitosan

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Abstract

This study investigated the effects of acidity and metal ion on the antibacterial activity of α- and β-chitosan at different molecular weights (Mw, 22–360 kDa) against Escherichia coli and Listeria innocua through agar well diffusion assay. Spectrophotometric, electrophoretic, and confocal fluorescence microscopy analysis were further employed to evaluate the antibacterial mechanisms probably involved. Increasing pH from 4.0 to 5.0 weakened the antibacterial ability of chitosan as shown by the decreased bacteria growth inhibition zone (BGIZ) from 0.63 to 0.57 cm for β-chitosan (61 kDa) and from 0.62 to 0.57 cm for α-chitosan (30 kDa) against E. coli. All β- and α-chitosan samples showed antibacterial activity against L. innocua, in which 22 kDa β-chitosan and 30 kDa α-chitosan at pH 4.0 had the highest antibacterial activity with BGIZ of 1.22 and 0.98 cm, respectively. Interactive effect between pH and Mw on the antibacterial activity of β-chitosan was observed, but not of α-chitosan. Adding Co2+ and Ni2+ significantly improved the antibacterial activity of chitosan, while adding K+, Na+, and Li+ significantly weakened the antibacterial activity of some β- and α-chitosan samples (P < 0.05), and different Mw and forms of chitosan showed different metal ion absorption capacities. Results indicate that chitosan might insert into the groove of bacterial DNA double helix structure to induce DNA degradation and permeate through bacteria cell membranes and combine with genomic DNA to induce its dysfunction, providing evidences for the antibacterial mechanisms of chitosan.

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Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank Dr. Alan Bakalinsky of the Department of Food Science and Technology, Oregon State University for his assistance on the analysis of the interactions between chitosan and bacteria genomic DNA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science and Technology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Qian Bingjun, Jooyeoun Jung & Yanyun Zhao

  2. Department of Food Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, People’s Republic of China

    Qian Bingjun

Authors
  1. Qian Bingjun
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  2. Jooyeoun Jung
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  3. Yanyun Zhao
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Correspondence to Yanyun Zhao.

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Qian Bingjun and Jooyeoun Jung contributed equally to this work.

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Bingjun, Q., Jung, J. & Zhao, Y. Impact of Acidity and Metal Ion on the Antibacterial Activity and Mechanisms of β- and α-Chitosan. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 175, 2972–2985 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-014-1413-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-014-1413-1

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