Abstract
Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) ATCC 12228 was incubated with 2% polyethylene glycol (PEG)-8 Laurate to yield electricity which was measured by a voltage difference between electrodes. Production of electron was validated by a Ferrozine assay. The anti-Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) activity of electrogenic S. epidermidis was assessed in vitro and in vivo. The voltage change (~ 4.4 mV) reached a peak 60 min after pipetting S. epidermidis plus 2% PEG-8 Laurate onto anodes. The electricity produced by S. epidermidis caused significant growth attenuation and cell lysis of C. acnes. Intradermal injection of C. acnes and S. epidermidis plus PEG-8 Laurate into the mouse ear considerably suppressed the growth of C. acnes. This suppressive effect was noticeably reversed when cyclophilin A of S. epidermidis was inhibited, indicating the essential role of cyclophilin A in electricity production of S. epidermidis against C. acnes. In summary, we demonstrate for the first time that skin S. epidermidis, in the presence of PEG-8 Laurate, can mediate cyclophilin A to elicit an electrical current that has anti-C. acnes effects. Electricity generated by S. epidermidis may confer immediate innate immunity in acne lesions to rein in the overgrowth of C. acnes at the onset of acne vulgaris.
Highlights
Microbes in the human skin microbiome play a vital role in modulating both the cutaneous innate immunity and adaptive immunity, while maintaining the skin homeostasis
We investigate the electrogenicity of S. epidermidis ATCC 12228, a non-biofilm forming skin bacterium, in the presence of 2% polyethylene glycol (PEG)-8 Laurate, a carbon-rich PEG ester of lauric acid
Media containing a high content of electricity (> 4 mV) collected from the culture of S. epidermidis plus PEG-8 Laurate for 60 min exerted a marked anti-C. acnes activity (Fig. 2a,b)
Summary
Microbes in the human skin microbiome play a vital role in modulating both the cutaneous innate immunity and adaptive immunity, while maintaining the skin homeostasis. Electricity-producing bacteria in the environment, such as Gram-negative Shewanella, Geobacter and Pseudomonas species, can mediate the formation of biofilms to generate electrons and engage in the process of extracellular electron transfer (EET) to transport electrons from the bacterial cytosol to the extracellular space. This facilitates the cycling of minerals and biomaterials in n ature[13,14]. Our results demonstrate a novel mechanism by which S. epidermidis inhibits the growth of C. acnes through the production of a weak electrical current, identifying a previously unknown process underlying bacterial homeostasis in the skin microbiome
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