Cranberry juice fights infections at molecular level

New research published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research has identified how cranberry juice works at the molecular level to fight virulent E. coli infections in the urinary tract. The team of researchers from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts that conducted the study found that cranberry juice literally stops E. coli cells from attaching themselves to urinary tract cells, preventing infection.

E. coli cells are covered in small, hair-like filaments called fimbriae, which clasp onto healthy cells and spread infection. But the molecules in cranberry juice cause the fimbriae to curl up, effectively stopping them from being able to latch onto urinary tract cells.

The team discovered that, apart from cranberry juice, virulent E. coli is too strong to be eliminated from the urinary tract by the simple flow of urine. But when cranberry juice is present, normal urinary flow is enough to expel most of the E. coli cells from the tract. Read more...

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