Journal
FEBS LETTERS
Volume 584, Issue 4, Pages 770-774Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2009.12.041
Keywords
Eggshell pigment; Photosensitizer; Photodynamic therapy; Photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy
Funding
- Japan Society for Promotion of Science [20780195]
- Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [20780195] Funding Source: KAKEN
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Pigmentation in avian eggshells appears to be associated with shell strength, temperature regulation, and camouflage. The pigments found in eggshells are mainly porphyrins, which have been utilized therapeutically as photosensitizers. Here, we examined the photoinactivation of gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus) and gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis) by hen eggshells and their pigments. The results indicated that eggshells have a light-dependent antimicrobial activity against gram-positive, but not gram-negative, bacteria. Our results indicate the possibility that the natural pigments used therapeutically have evolved in nature as a defence system. (C) 2009 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.
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