Aims: Hypercholesterolemia which is an elevated blood cholesterol level that considered as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in many countries. Therefore, lowering the cholesterol level is important to prevent the disease. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) group are often used as probiotics for their healthpromotion which include cholesterol-lowering effect. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potency of Pediococcus pentosaceus as probiotic that could reduce cholesterol. Methodology and results: All P. pentosaceus strains were able to survive in acid conditions and in the presence of 0.3% bile salts. These strains had antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, and Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028. The LAB were also sensitive to chloramphenicol and showed autoaggregation and coaggregation ability. Pediococcus pentosaceus E5, E7, and E8 were able to remove cholesterol with the highest activity showed by P. pentosaceus E7 (49.00 ± 2.83%). Dead cells and resting cells of P. pentosaceus E5, E7, and E8 (6-22%) also able to reduce the cholesterol but not as effectively as growing cells. Cholesterol lowering is often associated with bile salt hydrolase (BSH) enzyme activity, however none of the isolates were found BSH positive in this study. Conclusion, significance and impact of study The present study suggests that P. pentosaceus E7 has beneficial probiotic properties which can be exploited for probiotic product with cholesterol-lowering effect.
Pediococcus pentosaceus

Aims: Due to its rapid development of resistance against most conventional antibiotics, there is an urgent need to develop new antimicrobial agents and strategies to overcome the challenges in combating multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. This study aimed to determine the antipseudomonal potency of bacteriocin produced by Pediococcus pentosaceus TU2 when combined with conventional antibiotics. Methodology and results: The checkerboard method and time-kill assay were conducted to investigate the antagonism interaction and kinetics of the bacteriocin TU2 and selected antibiotics against Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC10145. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to observe the cell surface morphological changes of the treated P. aeruginosa ATCC10145. The combination of bacteriocin TU2 with ciprofloxacin and tetracycline resulted in a 4-fold reduction in minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and a fractional inhibitory concentration index (ΣFICI) of 0.5, indicating a synergistic interaction against P. aeruginosa ATCC10145. Similarly, the time-kill assay showed that the combination of bacteriocins TU2 respectively with chloramphenicol and tetracycline exerted enhanced bactericidal effect at 8 h and 10 h of treatments compared to treatment with antimicrobial agents alone. Results from SEM suggested that bacteriocin TU2 might cause pore formation on cells and thus enhanced the membrane permeability of antibiotics and intensified the membrane leakage that led to cell death of P. aeruginosa ATCC10145. Conclusion, significance and impact of study The combined antagonistic effect of bacteriocin TU2 and antibiotics could be a promising strategy in combating P. aeruginosa infections and may be applied in therapeutic industries.
Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Pediococcus pentosaceus