Uropathogenic strains E. coli are responsible for approximately 90% of uncomplicated cystitis of community origin in women. It has been shown that the use of cranberry extract can have a negative effect on the adhesive properties of uropathogenic strains E. coli.

Fimbriae (long, thin and hollow filiform processes, which are numerous - sometimes up to several thousand - on the surface of gram-negative bacterial cells) are adhesion factors that allow Escherichia coli to adhere firmly to epithelial cells of the urinary tract, and this is the first step in the development of an infection. process. Recently, several studies have been conducted which have shown that the association between the consumption of cranberries and the prevention of urinary tract infections is due to the ability of proanthocyanidins to reduce the ability of bacterial cells to adhere to the uropithelium.

In a double-blind, randomized, controlled cross-sectional study at the University of Catania (Island of Sicily, Italy), the inhibitory activity of urine in healthy women who received cranberry extract tablets for the adhesive properties of E has been evaluated. coli compared to the epithelial cells of the urinary tract. The study looked at two groups of healthy women aged 18 to 65 (12 patients in each group). Participants in group 1 did not have anamnestic data on recurrent urinary tract infections; patients in the second group had a history of recurrent cystitis.

Patients in both groups received treatment with the active drug for one week and placebo for one week in a different sequence.

Urine samples were taken at the beginning and at the end of each study period. Bacterial adhesion tests were carried out with two E. coli strains (ATCC 25922 and ATCC 35218) on the human bladder cancer cell line HT-1376.

A significant decrease in bacterial adhesion was observed in women who received cranberry extract (-50.9%, p less than 0.0001), regardless of the history of presence or absence of recurrent UTI and the sequence of the drug or placebo.

No such change was detected with placebo (-0.29%, statistically insignificant changes).

Thus, this study showed that the use of cranberry extract could have a negative effect on the adhesive properties of the uropathogenic strains E. coli.