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Planta Med
DOI: 10.1055/a-2536-8392
Original Papers

Galactomannan and Vicilin from Fenugreek Seeds (Trigonella foenum-graecum) Impair Early Pathogen-Host Interaction of Campylobacter jejuni with Intestinal Cells via JlpA

Leon Kemper
1   Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
,
Fabian Herrmann
1   Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
,
Simone König
3   IZKF Core Unit Proteomics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
,
Franco H. Falcone
2   Institute of Parasitology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
,
Andreas Hensel 
1   Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Abstract

Campylobacter jejuni is the leading cause of severe enteritis worldwide. Identification of natural products against C. jejuni that inhibit early-stage host-pathogen interactions is a promising strategy, particularly by blocking bacterial adhesion to and invasion into the host cells. This should help to reduce the bacterial load in vector animals. From the seeds of Trigonella foenum-graecum, an aqueous extract (fenugreek high molecular fraction) of high-molecular compounds (polysaccharides, proteins) was obtained. The polysaccharide was characterized as galactomannan (1,4-mannose backbone, substituted at O-6 with single galactose residues and galactose oligosaccharide chains). The protein part consisted of 50 kDa vicilin as the main compound. The fenugreek high molecular fraction did not influence proliferation of C. jejuni and viability of Caco-2 cells (1 – 1000 µg/mL). The fenugreek high molecular fraction reduced bacterial adhesion to Caco-2 significantly (500 – 1000 µg/mL), which was due to an interaction with the bacterial adhesin JlpA, preventing the interaction of this outer membrane protein to its ligand HSP90α (IC50 = 23.4 µg/mL). Bacterial invasion was reduced significantly. Both polysaccharides as well as vicilin contribute to the observed antiadhesive effect. As vicilin-like proteins are widely found in plants from the Fabaceae family, a vicilin-enriched protein preparation from Pisum sativum was investigated for antiadhesive activity. These findings suggest that fenugreek seeds or vicilin-rich plant extracts could be used to develop novel strategies to control C. jejuni infections in food-producing animals, ultimately helping to decrease the prevalence of campylobacteriosis in humans.

Keywords

adhesion - Campylobacter jejuni - Trigonella foenum-graecum - Fabaceae - fenugreek - JlpA - vicilin

Supporting Information

    Data on the composition of FCP by SDS-PAGE and structural information on the alignment of the protein sequences of FCP to vicilin as well as data of the FHM on the cell viability of Caco-2 cells and the proliferation of C. jejuni are available as the Supporting Information

  • Supporting Information


Publication History

Received: 26 November 2024

Accepted after revision: 10 February 2025

Accepted Manuscript online:
10 February 2025

Article published online:
06 March 2025

© 2025. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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