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Health
New research finds cranberry juice boosts fosfomycin’s action on E. coli and may lower antibiotic resistance in lab tests.
In laboratory experiments, cranberry juice increased the effectiveness of fosfomycin, a common antibiotic for urinary tract infections (UTIs), and reduced bacterial resistance mutations in most tested strains.
UTIs affect over 400 million individuals globally each year, with epidemiological data indicating that more than half of all women will experience at least one infection during their lifetime. Escherichia coli bacteria are the primary cause of these infections, and fosfomycin is frequently prescribed as a first-line treatment. Due to rising antibiotic resistance, scientists are investigating alternative approaches to enhance treatment efficacy.
A study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology examined the interaction between cranberry juice and fosfomycin against uropathogenic E. coli strains. The researchers found that cranberry juice improved the antibiotic’s activity in 72% of the strains tested and decreased the emergence of resistance-associated mutations. Eric Déziel, Ph.D., a microbiologist at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique in Montreal and lead author, described the findings as promising but preliminary.
Historically, cranberry juice has been used as a traditional remedy for UTIs, initially thought to work due to its acidity. More recent research suggests that compounds in cranberry juice prevent bacteria from adhering to urethral cells. This study explored how cranberry juice interacts with antibiotics, revealing that it may enhance bacterial uptake of fosfomycin.
Fosfomycin enters bacterial cells through sugar transport channels. Déziel explained that while the specific cranberry compounds responsible remain unidentified, the juice appears to increase sugar transport through one channel, which also facilitates greater fosfomycin absorption. Resistance often arises from mutations affecting other nutrient transport pathways.
Déziel’s lab focuses on bacterial communication and natural compounds that could disrupt these signals to aid infection treatment. Previous work from his team demonstrated that cranberry extracts can potentiate antibiotics against resistant bacteria.
The Cranberry Institute, which supports cranberry health research, funded this study to determine if cranberry juice itself, rather than concentrated extracts, could produce similar effects on bacteria. Déziel noted the importance of this distinction, as people typically consume juice rather than extracts.
He emphasized that the current research does not confirm that drinking cranberry juice enhances antibiotic effectiveness in patients. Nonetheless, the results warrant further investigation and support exploring natural compounds as adjuncts to antibiotics. Enhancing existing antibiotics’ performance could reduce the need for new drug development.
“With the challenge of multi-drug resistance,” Déziel said, “we need to work from many different directions.”
