Effect of β-Estradiol on Mono- and Mixed-Species Biofilms of Human Commensal Bacteria Lactobacillus paracasei AK508 and Micrococcus luteus C01 on Different Model Surfaces

The impact of steroid hormones, and particularly estradiol, on human microbiota could be recognized as a substantial part of human-microbiota interactions. However, an area that remains poorly investigated is that of the skin and vaginal microbial communities and biofilms, which contain non-pathogenic bacteria of phyla Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, especially probiotic bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus and the widespread, safe skin genus, Micrococcus. Experiments with Lactobacillus paracasei AK508 and Micrococcus luteus C01 biofilms on PTFE cubes showed dose-dependent effects of estradiol at concentrations of 0.22 nM and 22 nM. The hormone mostly inhibits L. paracasei growth and stimulates M. luteus. The presented studies of colony-forming unit (CFU) amountsand cell aggregation in biofilms on glass fiber filters showed the same general tendencies. Estradiol generally increased the aggregation of cells in monospecies communities and potentially changed the synthesis of antibacterial metabolites in L. paracasei. The balance between two bacteria in mixed-species biofilms depended on the initial adhesion stage, and when this stage was reduced, micrococci were more resistant to the antagonistic action of L. paracasei. Moreover, in mixed-species biofilms, the effect of estradiol on lactobacilli altered from inhibition to stimulation, potentially due to the presence of M. luteus. At the same time, ethanol as a solvent for estradiol at the concentration 0.6% acted mostly as an antagonist of the hormone and had an opposite effect on bacteria; nevertheless, the overlapping of ethanol and estradiol effects was shown to be minimal. The data obtained prove the complexity of microbial interactions and the regulatory effect of estradiol on commensal bacteria biofilms.