Department of Animal Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, Towada, Aomori, Japan.
FEBS Lett. 2010 Feb 19;584(4):770-4. doi: 10.1016/j.febslet.2009.12.041. Epub 2009 Dec 28.
Pigmentation in avian eggshells appears to be associated with shell strength, temperature regulation, and camouflage. The pigments found in eggshells are mainly porphyrins, which have been utilized therapeutically as photosensitizers. Here, we examined the photoinactivation of gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus) and gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis) by hen eggshells and their pigments. The results indicated that eggshells have a light-dependent antimicrobial activity against gram-positive, but not gram-negative, bacteria. Our results indicate the possibility that the natural pigments used therapeutically have evolved in nature as a defence system.
鸟类蛋壳中的色素似乎与蛋壳强度、温度调节和伪装有关。蛋壳中的色素主要是卟啉，它们已被用作光动力治疗中的光敏剂。在这里，我们研究了鸡蛋壳及其色素对革兰氏阳性（金黄色葡萄球菌、蜡样芽孢杆菌）和革兰氏阴性（大肠杆菌、肠炎沙门氏菌）细菌的光灭活作用。结果表明，蛋壳对革兰氏阳性菌具有光依赖性的抗菌活性，但对革兰氏阴性菌没有。我们的研究结果表明，治疗中使用的天然色素可能是作为一种防御系统在自然界中进化而来的。
