Factors derived from Escherichia coli Nissle 1917, grown in different growth media, enhance cell death in a model of 5-fluorouracil-induced Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cell damage.

We evaluated supernatants (SNs) from Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) grown in commonly used growth media for their capacity to affect the viability of Caco-2 colon cancer cells in the presence and absence of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy. EcN was grown in Luria-Bertani (LB), tryptone soya (TSB), Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS), and M17 broth supplemented with 10% (v/v) lactose solution (M17). Human Caco-2 colon cancer cells were treated with DMEM (control), growth media alone (LB, TSB, MRS, and M17) or EcN SNs derived from these 4 media, in the presence and absence of 5-FU. Cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and cell monolayer permeability were determined. EcN SN in LB medium reduced Caco-2 cell viability significantly, to 51% at 48 h. The combination of this EcN SN and 5-FU further reduced cell viability to 37% at 48 h, compared to 5-FU control. MRS broth and EcN SN in MRS, together with 5-FU, generated significantly lower levels of ROS compared to 5-FU control. However, all 5-FU treatments significantly disrupted the Caco-2 cell barrier compared to control; with no significant differences observed among any of the 5-FU treatments. EcN SNs (LB+) was most effective at decreasing the viability of Caco-2 cells. This could indicate a potential role for this EcN SN in chemoprevention for colon cancer.