Disaggregated <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Biofilm Impairs Bactericidal Activity and Bacterial Phagocytosis by Human Neutrophils

<i>Helicobacter pylori</i> (<i>H. pylori</i>), a prevalent human pathogen affecting nearly half the global population, is a major contributor to chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric cancer. <i>H. pylori</i> develops biofilms (BFs) allowing bacteria to evad...

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Main Authors: Clara Lourdes Tovar-Robles, Yolanda Romo-Lozano, Daniel Cervantes-García, Rodolfo González-Segovia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Microbiology Research
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7481/16/6/121
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author Clara Lourdes Tovar-Robles
Yolanda Romo-Lozano
Daniel Cervantes-García
Rodolfo González-Segovia
author_facet Clara Lourdes Tovar-Robles
Yolanda Romo-Lozano
Daniel Cervantes-García
Rodolfo González-Segovia
author_sort Clara Lourdes Tovar-Robles
collection DOAJ
description <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> (<i>H. pylori</i>), a prevalent human pathogen affecting nearly half the global population, is a major contributor to chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric cancer. <i>H. pylori</i> develops biofilms (BFs) allowing bacteria to evade the immune response. Differences in composition between planktonic and biofilm cells influence the host’s immune response, yet the specific biofilm components modulating this response remain uncharacterized. Considering the above, this study evaluated the effect of in vitro-generated <i>H. pylori</i> BF on the antibacterial activity of neutrophils. This work utilized sonication to obtain disaggregated <i>H. pylori</i> BF (d-BF-<i>Hp</i>) to challenge human neutrophils, assessing their bactericidal and phagocytic activity against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>. <i>S. aureus</i> survival in the presence of neutrophils was enhanced by 10 μg/mL of d-BF-<i>Hp</i>’s protein. Conversely, <i>S. aureus</i> survival was significantly lower at 30 µg/mL compared to 10 µg/mL d-BF-<i>Hp</i>. Furthermore, 10 and 30 µg/mL of d-BF-<i>Hp</i> significantly reduced the neutrophil phagocytosis rate. Our findings suggest that d-BF-<i>Hp</i> components diminish neutrophil bactericidal activity, although this effect was not observed at higher d-BF-<i>Hp</i> concentrations. Increased d-BF-<i>Hp</i> concentrations proportionally reduced neutrophil phagocytic capacity. Future work should explore the mechanisms underlying the alteration of neutrophil microbicidal properties.
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spelling doaj-art-2401f60b59444a20ba6ce2c32ebb65df2025-08-20T03:27:21ZengMDPI AGMicrobiology Research2036-74812025-06-0116612110.3390/microbiolres16060121Disaggregated <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Biofilm Impairs Bactericidal Activity and Bacterial Phagocytosis by Human NeutrophilsClara Lourdes Tovar-Robles0Yolanda Romo-Lozano1Daniel Cervantes-García2Rodolfo González-Segovia3Centro de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Av. Universidad No. 940, Aguascalientes 20131, MexicoCentro de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Av. Universidad No. 940, Aguascalientes 20131, MexicoCentro de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Av. Universidad No. 940, Aguascalientes 20131, MexicoCentro de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Av. Universidad No. 940, Aguascalientes 20131, Mexico<i>Helicobacter pylori</i> (<i>H. pylori</i>), a prevalent human pathogen affecting nearly half the global population, is a major contributor to chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric cancer. <i>H. pylori</i> develops biofilms (BFs) allowing bacteria to evade the immune response. Differences in composition between planktonic and biofilm cells influence the host’s immune response, yet the specific biofilm components modulating this response remain uncharacterized. Considering the above, this study evaluated the effect of in vitro-generated <i>H. pylori</i> BF on the antibacterial activity of neutrophils. This work utilized sonication to obtain disaggregated <i>H. pylori</i> BF (d-BF-<i>Hp</i>) to challenge human neutrophils, assessing their bactericidal and phagocytic activity against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>. <i>S. aureus</i> survival in the presence of neutrophils was enhanced by 10 μg/mL of d-BF-<i>Hp</i>’s protein. Conversely, <i>S. aureus</i> survival was significantly lower at 30 µg/mL compared to 10 µg/mL d-BF-<i>Hp</i>. Furthermore, 10 and 30 µg/mL of d-BF-<i>Hp</i> significantly reduced the neutrophil phagocytosis rate. Our findings suggest that d-BF-<i>Hp</i> components diminish neutrophil bactericidal activity, although this effect was not observed at higher d-BF-<i>Hp</i> concentrations. Increased d-BF-<i>Hp</i> concentrations proportionally reduced neutrophil phagocytic capacity. Future work should explore the mechanisms underlying the alteration of neutrophil microbicidal properties.https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7481/16/6/121bacterial infectiondisaggregated biofilm<i>Helicobacter pylori</i>immune responseneutrophilsphagocytosis
spellingShingle Clara Lourdes Tovar-Robles
Yolanda Romo-Lozano
Daniel Cervantes-García
Rodolfo González-Segovia
Disaggregated <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Biofilm Impairs Bactericidal Activity and Bacterial Phagocytosis by Human Neutrophils
Microbiology Research
bacterial infection
disaggregated biofilm
<i>Helicobacter pylori</i>
immune response
neutrophils
phagocytosis
title Disaggregated <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Biofilm Impairs Bactericidal Activity and Bacterial Phagocytosis by Human Neutrophils
title_full Disaggregated <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Biofilm Impairs Bactericidal Activity and Bacterial Phagocytosis by Human Neutrophils
title_fullStr Disaggregated <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Biofilm Impairs Bactericidal Activity and Bacterial Phagocytosis by Human Neutrophils
title_full_unstemmed Disaggregated <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Biofilm Impairs Bactericidal Activity and Bacterial Phagocytosis by Human Neutrophils
title_short Disaggregated <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Biofilm Impairs Bactericidal Activity and Bacterial Phagocytosis by Human Neutrophils
title_sort disaggregated i helicobacter pylori i biofilm impairs bactericidal activity and bacterial phagocytosis by human neutrophils
topic bacterial infection
disaggregated biofilm
<i>Helicobacter pylori</i>
immune response
neutrophils
phagocytosis
url https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7481/16/6/121
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AT danielcervantesgarcia disaggregatedihelicobacterpyloriibiofilmimpairsbactericidalactivityandbacterialphagocytosisbyhumanneutrophils
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