Probiotic Pediococcus acidilactici strain from tomato pickle displays anti-cancer activity and alleviates gut inflammation in-vitro.

The present study characterized the potential probiotic properties of Pediococcus acidilactici TMAB26 strain isolated from traditional Indian tomato pickle, and evaluated its possible therapeutic applications as an anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agent in vitro. The 16S rRNA sequencing and primary screening demarcated TMAB26 strain as an ideal probiotic candidate, with distinctive properties of acid tolerance (58.02% at pH 2.5), bile tolerance (55.53% at 0.5%), and efficient adherence to the mucosal surface of the human intestinal cells in vitro, along with antagonistic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. The strain exhibited antagonism against standard intestinal pathogenic strains Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, E. coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Salmonella typhi with zones of inhibition in the range of 6-18 mm. The cytotoxicity evaluation of the probiotic isolate TMAB26 culture supernatant (1:1 dilution) showed significant cytotoxicity on HT-29 (94.91% ± 1.27) and Caco-2 (92.63% ± 0.63) cancer cells when compared to that of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) alone. Furthermore, the strain culture supernatant reduced the mRNA levels of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) by threefold, Interleukin-6 (IL-6) by eightfold and increased the mRNA levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine Interleukin-10 (IL-10) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) pretreated HT-29 and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), suggesting the potential role of TMAB26 isolate, i.e., Pediococcus acidilactici MTCC 13014 in alleviating gut inflammation. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-020-02570-1. © King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology 2021.