Cranberry juice components act against development of urinary tract infections

The adhesion of bacteria to uroepithelial cells or urinary catheters is the first step in the development of biofilm formation and urinary tract infections (UTIs). Previous research has suggested that consumption of cranberry juice can prevent the recurrence of UTIs by decreasing bacterial adhesion to epithelial cells. However, the mechanisms of action are not well understood. Experiments were conducted at different scales to test bacterial attachment, adhesion forces and formation of biofilms after continuous exposure of bacteria to cranberry products. At the macroscale, bacteria were incubated with uroepithelial cells and the number of bacteria attached per uroepithelial cell was determined. At the nanoscale, we used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to determine the adhesion forces between E. coli and a silicon nitride AFM tip after bacterial growth in L-CJC or PACs for different numbers of culture times. Successive replacement of media and continued culture in L-CJC and PACs resulted in a significant decrease in adhesion forces for E. coli, which was correlated with a decrease in attached bacteria to uroepithelial cells during cranberry treatment. Growth of bacteria in L-CJC or PACs also inhibited the development of biofilms on polyvinyl-chloride, which can represent biofilm formation on urinary catheters.