Unraveling enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli infection: the promising role of dietary compounds and probiotics in bacterial elimination and host innate immunity boosting

• Published in: Critical reviews in food science and nutrition Vol. 63; no. 11; pp. 1551 - 1563
• Main Authors: Xue, Yansong, Zhu, Mei-Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 2023; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: anti-infection; Antimicrobial agents; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial infections; Bioactive compounds; Biological activity; Carbohydrates; Cell death; Colonization; Diet; E coli; Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections - microbiology; Escherichia coli Infections - prevention & control; Escherichia coli O157 - physiology; Flavonoids; Food; Foodborne diseases; Foodborne pathogens; Gastrointestinal diseases; Humans; Immune response; Immune system; Immunity; Immunity, Innate; Infections; Inflammation; Inflammatory response; Innate immunity; Intestinal Diseases; Nucleotides; Oligomerization; Pathogens; Phagocytosis; Phenolic acids; Phenols; Probiotics; Saccharides; Signal transduction; Signaling; Terpenes; Toll-like receptors; bioactive compounds; Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli; anti-infection; innate immunity
• ISSN: 1040-8398; 1549-7852
• DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2021.1965538

The innate immune system has developed sophisticated strategies to defense against infections. Host cells utilize the recognition machineries such as toll-like receptors and nucleotide binding and oligomerization domain-like receptors to identify the pathogens and alert immune system. However, some pathogens have developed tactics to evade host defenses, including manipulation of host inflammatory response, interference with cell death pathway, and highjack of phagocytosis signaling for a better survival and colonization in host. Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is a notorious foodborne pathogen that causes severe tissue damages and gastrointestinal diseases, which has been reported to disturb host immune responses. Diverse bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, alkaloids, saccharides, and terpenoids derived from food varieties and probiotics have been discovered and investigated for their capability of combating bacterial infections. Some of them serve as novel antimicrobial agents and act as immune boosters that harness host immune system. In this review, we will discuss how EHEC, specifically E. coli O157:H7, hijacks the host immune system and interferes with host signaling pathway; and highlight the promising role of food-derived bioactive compounds and probiotics in harnessing host innate immunity and eliminating E. coli O157:H7 infection with multiple strategies.