Bacterial diseases

Apple Cider Vinegar Relieves Inflammation, Fights Bacteria

Commercial apple cider vinegar has potent antimicrobial properties and can safely and effectively relieve inflammation, according to results of a new study.

Findings from the study were presented by Dr Darshna Yagnik on August 21, 2017, at the 3rd Annual Congress on Infectious Diseases in San Francisco, California.
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Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli is the most frequent cause of blood-borne, urinary tract, and hospital-acquired infections. Candida albicans infection also poses a significant threat, especially to patients who are immunocompromised and/or have received transplantations. Currently, there is a global need for novel anti-microbial agents to target microbes and multi-drug resistance in bacterial and fungal infections.

For their study, Dr Yagnik and colleagues tested the effect of commercial apple cider vinegar on microbial cultures over a 24-hour period and measured inhibition zones. To see whether apple cider vinegar could have an anti-inflammatory effect in vitro, they tested human blood-derived monocytes that were incubated with microbes and apple cider vinegar. They also analyzed supernatants collected via enzyme-linked immunsorbant assay (ELISA) for pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion.

When monocytes were cultured with both microbes, they secreted a TNF-α and IL-1β. However, after direct co-culture between each of the microbial innoculums and apple cider vinegar in varying concentrations, the researchers found that apple cider vinegar significantly inhibited the growth of E coli.

The extent to which each microbe was inhibited varied dose-dependently on the concentration of apple cider vinegar. Undiluted apple cider vinegar had the strongest effect on C albicans. However, lower dilutions of apple cider vinegar, including the 1/1000 dilution of the neat solution, had the strongest effect on E coli.

The researchers also found that apple cider vinegar significantly inhibited the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β that were secreted by the human blood monocytes when co-cultured with each microbe.

“[Apple cider vinegar] displayed potent anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory activity against E coli and C albicans,” the researchers concluded. “We propose that [apple cider vinegar] could be potentially therapeutic in cases of antibiotic resistance and sepsis.”

—Christina Vogt

Reference:
Yagnik D. Apple cider vinegar (ACV®) displays potent antibiotic activity directly against Escherichia coli and Candida albicans and within in vitro monocytes exposed to microbes by inhibiting inflammatory cytokine secretion. Paper presented at: 3rd Annual Congress on Infectious Diseases; August 21-23, 2017. San Francisco, California. http://infection.conferenceseries.com/abstract/2017/apple-cider-vinegar-acv-displays-potent-antibiotic-activity-directly-against-escherichia-coli-and-candida-albicans-and-within-in-vitro-monocytes-exposed-to-microbes-by-inhibiting-inflammatory-cytokine-secretion.