Studying the Affect of Lignin Monomers and Their Oxidation Products on Bacteria

Lignin Monomers

p-coumaryl alcohol

coniferyl alcohol

sinapyl alcohol

Abstract

The many microbes inhabiting the human body compose the human microbiome. Without these microorganisms, the body would cease to exist. While they are miniscule alone, in large numbers they are a force to be reckoned with. Gut microbes specifically play an enormous role in the body. The gateway to human health can be defined as the gut microbiome. A human’s diet plays a huge role in determining the variety of bacteria in his or her gut microbiomes, which in turn determines overall health, resistance to disease and sickness, and even plays a role in influencing thoughts and emotions. Lignin monomers have been noticed to have interesting applications in nature. When lignin monomers are added in small doses to some bacteria, it can sometimes help the bacteria grow better than normal media alone.

Methods

Experimentation was done first with Lactobacillus acidophilus and ferulic acid, a precursor to coniferyl alcohol. L. acidophilus was streaked onto MRS media plates and left to incubate at 37°C for approximately 2-3 days per plate. A colony was then picked from the plate and grown up in 10mL of MRS Media in an incubator shaker at 37°C for approximately 3 days. After this period, a 96 well plate was filled with the bacteria and varying low concentrations of ferulic acid, keeping the same concentration of ferulic acid in each row. The plate was then run in the plate reader for approximately 48 hours, and data was analyzed to look for growth of the bacteria under the conditions of each concentration.

Lactobacillus acidophilus did not yield the most promising results, so new experimentation on Lactobacillus casei has most recently begun. The protocols for experimentation on L. casei are the same as those for L. acidophilus.