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Lactoferricin influences early events of Listeria monocytogenes infection in THP-1 human macrophages

¹Department of Public Health Sciences, University ‘La Sapienza', P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy ²Biology Department, University of Rome Tre, V.le Marconi 446, 00146 Rome, Italy ³Laboratory of Ultrastructure, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, V.le Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy

Correspondence Lucilla Seganti lucilla.seganti{at}uniroma1.it

Received June 30, 2003
Accepted October 3, 2003

Bovine lactoferrin (BLf) and its derivative peptide lactoferricin B (LfcinB) are known for their antimicrobial activity towards several pathogens, including Listeria monocytogenes, a food-borne Gram-positive invasive bacterium that infects a wide variety of host cells, including professional phagocytes. To add further information on the antibacterial effects of these compounds, the influence of BLf, LfcinB and the antimicrobial centre of LfcinB, the hexapeptide LfcinB_4–9, on the invasive behaviour of L. monocytogenes was analysed in IFN--activated human macrophagic cells (THP-1). Significant inhibition of bacterial entry in THP-1 cells was observed at LfcinB concentrations that were unable to produce any bacteriostatic or bactericidal effect, compared with BLf and LfcinB_4–9 peptide. This inhibition occurred when LfcinB was incubated during the bacterial infection step and was not due only to competition for common glycosaminoglycan receptors. Assays performed through a temperature shift from 4 to 37 °C showed that inhibition of invasion took place at an early post-adsorption step, although an effect on a different step of intracellular infection could not be ruled out.

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