Differential modulation of intracellular survival of cytosolic and vacuolar pathogens by curcumin

Marathe, Sandhya A and Sen, Minakshi and Dasgupta, Ishani and Chakravortty, Dipshikha (2012) Differential modulation of intracellular survival of cytosolic and vacuolar pathogens by curcumin. In: Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 56 (11). pp. 5555-5567.

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Abstract

Curcumin, a principal component of turmeric, acts as an immunomodulator regulating the host defenses in response to a diseased condition. The role of curcumin in controlling certain infectious diseases is highly controversial. It is known to alleviate symptoms of Helicobacter pylori infection and exacerbate that of Leishmania infection. We have evaluated the role of curcumin in modulating the fate of various intracellular bacterial pathogens. We show that pretreatment of macrophages with curcumin attenuates the infections caused by Shigella flexneri (clinical isolates) and Listeria monocytogenes and aggravates those caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi CT18 (a clinical isolate), Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Yersinia enterocolitica. Thus, the antimicrobial nature of curcumin is not a general phenomenon. It modulated the intracellular survival of cytosolic (S. flexneri and L. monocytogenes) and vacuolar (Salmonella spp., Y. enterocolitica, and S. aureus) bacteria in distinct ways. Through colocalization experiments, we demonstrated that curcumin prevented the active phagosomal escape of cytosolic pathogens and enhanced the active inhibition of lysosomal fusion by vacuolar pathogens. A chloroquine resistance assay confirmed that curcumin retarded the escape of the cytosolic pathogens, thus reducing their inter- and intracellular spread. We have demonstrated that the membrane-stabilizing activity of curcumin is crucial for its differential effect on the virulence of the bacteria.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Antimicrob Agents Chemother
Publisher:	American Society for Microbiology
Additional Information:	Copyright of this article belongs to American Society for Microbiology.
Department/Centre:	Division of Biological Sciences > Microbiology & Cell Biology
Date Deposited:	18 Feb 2013 09:13
Last Modified:	18 Feb 2013 09:16
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/45369

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