Toxicity of Bioactive and Probiotic Marine Bacteria and Their Secondary Metabolites in Artemia sp. and Caenorhabditis elegans as Eukaryotic Model Organisms
ABSTRACTWe have previously reported that some strains belonging to the marineActinobacteriaclass, thePseudoalteromonasgenus, theRoseobacterclade, and thePhotobacteriaceaeandVibrionaceaefamilies produce both antibacterial and antivirulence compounds, and these organisms are interesting from an applied point of view as fish probiotics or as a source of pharmaceutical compounds. The application of either organisms or compounds requires that they do not cause any side effects, such as toxicity in eukaryotic organisms. The purpose of this study was to determine whether these bacteria or their compounds have any toxic side effects in the eukaryotic organismsArtemiasp. andCaenorhabditis elegans.Arthrobacter davidanieliWX-11,Pseudoalteromonas luteoviolaceaS4060,P. piscicidaS2049,P. rubraS2471,Photobacterium halotoleransS2753, andVibrio coralliilyticusS2052 were lethal to either or both model eukaryotes. The toxicity ofP. luteoviolaceaS4060 could be related to the production of the antibacterial compound pentabromopseudilin, while the adverse effect observed in the presence ofP. halotoleransS2753 andV. coralliilyticusS2052 could not be explained by the production of holomycin nor andrimid, the respective antibiotic compounds in these organisms. In contrast, the tropodithietic acid (TDA)-producing bacteriaPhaeobacter inhibensDSM17395 andRuegeria mobilisF1926 and TDA itself had no adverse effect on the target organisms. These results reaffirm TDA-producingRoseobacterbacteria as a promising group to be used as probiotics in aquaculture, whereasActinobacteria,Pseudoalteromonas,Photobacteriaceae, andVibrionaceaeshould be used with caution.