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Lauric Acid Monoglyceride (hereinafter referred to as “GML”) is an antibacterial lipid and a natural antibacterial agent. It has many excellent properties such as broad antibacterial spectrum, no residue, and does not lead to bacterial resistance. Antibacterial lipids can not only exert indirect antibacterial effects by regulating inflammatory cells and immune cells and mobilize the autoimmune system, but can also directly insert into bacterial cell membranes to exert direct antibacterial effects. They have broad application prospects in the field of animal nutrition.
Many studies have shown that GML has good antibacterial activity, and its antibacterial effect is relatively stable. It is the lipid substance with the strongest antibacterial activity among fatty acids and derivatives, and has a broad antibacterial spectrum. The antibacterial activity of GML has little effect with changes in pH. It can not only inhibit most common pathogenic bacteria such as bacteria, yeasts and molds, but also inhibit certain viruses and protists. Generally speaking, GML is effective against Gram-positive bacteria (such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, Clostridium perfringens, Listeria, etc.) and some Gram-negative bacteria (Campylobacter jejuni, Haemophilus influenzae, etc.) ) has the best antibacterial effect, followed by fungi and yeast, while the antibacterial effect on some Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Proteus, etc. is not obvious.
As a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent, GML can play a positive role in the intestinal health of animals by regulating intestinal flora, and has broad application prospects in the field of animal nutrition. Research has found that adding GML to the diet of weaned piglets can significantly reduce the number of total bacteria in the feces of weaned piglets, reduce the number of harmful microorganisms (E. coli, salmonella), and improve the intestinal performance of piglets. Other studies have found that compared with adding colistin sulfate to the diet, GML can significantly increase the relative abundance of butyric acid-producing bacteria and Clostridium butyricum, and can also significantly increase the intestinal propylamine in weaned piglets. The expression levels of acid and butyric acid.
GML has strong antibacterial properties mainly because of its biparental properties. It can achieve antibacterial effects by affecting the bacterial cell wall, cell membrane, and the synthesis of related proteases. Mainly through: 1) causing bacterial cell membrane lysis, increasing the permeability of the cell membrane or causing cell lysis; 2) uncoupling of the oxidative phosphorylation process during electron transfer, resulting in insufficient energy within the bacterial cell; 3) related proteases acting on the cell membrane , affecting its absorption of nutrients and causing bacterial death. Because the cell wall structures of Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, yeasts and fungi are different, GML has different inhibitory effects on bacteria with different properties.As far as Gram-positive bacteria are concerned, the lipooligosaccharide content of their cell walls is high, and GML can be embedded in the cell membrane, causing intracellular proteins, nucleic acids, and metal ions to leak out, leading to bacterial death. In the same way, part of the cell wall and It also has the same inhibitory effect on Gram-negative bacteria composed mainly of lipooligosaccharides. For some Gram-negative bacteria whose bacterial cell walls are dominated by lipopolysaccharide, the antibacterial effect is weak because GML cannot penetrate.
According to a 2018 survey report, the market size of antibiotics used by feed companies is roughly 3.0-3.5 billion yuan, of which the market size of anti-Gram-negative bacteria antibiotics is about 500 million yuan, and the market size of anti-Gram-positive bacteria and broad-spectrum antibiotics is about 500 million yuan. The market size is 2.5-3 billion yuan. In an environment where antibiotics are banned, GML has extremely low inhibitory concentrations against Gram-positive bacteria and has significant advantages in the development of antibiotic alternatives. By supplementing GML with anti-Gram-negative bacteria substances and giving full play to the functional advantages of GML, it is of great significance to the development of antibiotic alternatives, solving the production practice problems of animal nutrition, and improving the economic benefits of breeding.
