Institut für Ernährungswissenschaften

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    The antiviral activity of polyphenols
    (2025) Burkard, Markus; Piotrowsky, Alban; Leischner, Christian; Detert, Katja; Venturelli, Sascha; Marongiu, Luigi; Burkard, Markus; Department of Nutritional Biochemistry, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany; Piotrowsky, Alban; Department of Nutritional Biochemistry, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany; Leischner, Christian; Department of Nutritional Biochemistry, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany; Detert, Katja; Department of Nutritional Biochemistry, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany; Venturelli, Sascha; Department of Nutritional Biochemistry, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany; Marongiu, Luigi; Department of Nutritional Biochemistry, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
    Polyphenols are secondary metabolites produced by a large variety of plants. These compounds that comprise the class of phenolic acids, stilbenes, lignans, coumarins, flavonoids, and tannins have a wide range of employment, from food production to medical usages. Among the beneficial applications of polyphenols, their antiviral activity is gaining importance due to the increased prevalence of drug‐resistant viruses such as herpes and hepatitis B viruses. In the present review, we provide an overview of the most promising or commonly used antiviral polyphenols and their mechanisms of action focusing on their effects on enveloped viruses of clinical importance (double‐stranded linear or partially double‐stranded circular DNA viruses, negative sense single‐stranded RNA viruses with nonsegmented or segmented genomes, and positive sense single‐stranded RNA viruses). The present work emphasizes the relevance of polyphenols, in particular epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate and resveratrol, as alternative or supportive antivirals. Polyphenols could interfere with virtually all steps of viral infection, from the adsorption to the release of viral particles. The activity of polyphenols against viruses is especially relevant given the risk of widespread outbreaks associated with viruses, remarked by the recent COVID‐19 pandemic.
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    The non-nutritive sweetener rebaudioside a enhances phage infectivity
    (2025) Marongiu, Luigi; Brzozowska, Ewa; Brykała, Jan; Burkard, Markus; Schmidt, Herbert; Szermer-Olearnik, Bożena; Venturelli, Sascha
    Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) are widely employed in foodstuffs. However, it has become increasingly evident that their consumption is associated with bacterial dysbiosis, which, in turn, is linked to several health conditions, including a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and cancer. Among the NNS, stevia, whose main component is rebaudioside A (rebA), is gaining popularity in the organic food market segment. While the effect of NNS on bacteria has been established, the impact of these sweeteners on bacterial viruses (phages) has been neglected, even though phages are crucial elements in maintaining microbial eubiosis. The present study sought to provide a proof-of-concept of the impact of NNS on phage infectivity by assessing the binding of rebA to phage proteins involved in the infection process of enteropathogenic bacteria, namely the fiber protein gp17 of Yersinia enterocolitica phage φYeO3-12 and the tubular baseplate protein gp31 of Klebsiella pneumoniae phage 32. We employed docking analysis and a panel of in vitro confirmatory tests (microscale thermophoresis, RedStarch ™ depolymerization, adsorption, and lysis rates). Docking analysis indicated that NNS can bind to both fiber and baseplate proteins. Confirmatory assays demonstrated that rebA can bind gp31 and that such binding increased the protein’s enzymatic activity. Moreover, the binding of rebA to gp17 resulted in a decrease in the adsorption rate of the recombinant protein to its host but increased the Yersinia bacteriolysis caused by the whole phage compared to unexposed controls. These results support the hypothesis that NNS can impair phage infectivity, albeit the resulting effect on the microbiome remains to be elucidated.