Anti-cancer, anti-biofilm, and anti-inflammatory properties of hen's albumen: A photodynamic approach.

Abstract

The albumen plays a major role in the protection of eggs against microorganisms. It contains an arsenal of natural antimicrobial molecules and antibacterial proteins, including the well-known ovotransferrin and lysozyme, which exert their activities against a range of bacteria. In the present study, the hen's albumen extract treated with the dried insect body of blister beetle M. pustulata was assessed for antibacterial, antibiofilm, anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative activity. The zone of inhibition against Gram positive E. faecalis and S. aureus was 10.8 mm and 12.1 mm respectively at 100 μg mL-1. However, it was 13.6 mm and 15.3 mm for Gram negative P. aeruginosa and P. vulgaris respectively. The biofilm of tested bacteria was significantly inhibited at 100 μg mL-1. The hydrophobicity of bacterial biofilms was considerably condensed after treatment with the hen's albumen extracts at 100 μg mL-1. The anti-inflammatory activity of hen's albumen extracts was confirmed by the inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX) enzyme to 84.91% at 100 μg mL-1 with the relative IC50 of 8.26 μg mL-1. The albumen extract effectively inhibited the viability (23.61%) of HepG2 hepatic cancer cells at 100 μg mL-1. The anti-proliferative activity of the albumen extracts was further revealed by the induction of HepG2 apoptotic cell morphology. This study concludes that the hen's albumen extract treated with M. pustulata is a natural therapeutic agent to treat biofilm associated clinical bacteria, inflammations and human hepatic cancer cells.