Cranberries and cranberry juice can be used as home remedies for urinary tract infections and E. coli. Recent scientific studies confirmed that cranberries and cranberry juice have effects to prevent and treat urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by E. coli bacteria.
For long time, scientists believed that the ability of cranberries to help prevent UTIs was related to the strong acidity of the cranberries. But recent research has shown that proanthocyanidins (PACs) in cranberries is related to prevention of UTIs.
The PACs have a special structure (called A-type linkages) that makes it more difficult for certain types of bacteria to latch on to urinary tract linings. These types of bacteria include strains of E. coli – one of the most common microorganisms causes UTIs. Cranberries prevent UTIs by blocking adhesion of bacteria to the urinary tract lining.
According to a research conducted by Terri Camesano, associate professor of chemical engineering at WPI, cranberry juice create an energy barrier that keeps the bacteria from getting close to the urinary tract lining. The adhesive forces between E. coli and cells of the urinary tract are greatly reduced when at least a 5 percent solution of cranberry juice cocktail is present. Cranberry juice causes tiny tendrils (known as fimbriae) on the surface of the type of E. coli bacteria responsible for the most serious types of UTIs to become compressed, reducing the bacteria’s ability to latch onto the lining of the urinary tract.
The research found that E. coli grown in cranberry juice or the isolated PACs are unable to form biofilms (clusters containing high concentrations of bacteria), which are required for infections to develop. When E. coli are cultured over extended periods in solutions containing various concentrations of either cranberry juice or PACs, their cell membranes undergo changes that hinder the bacteria’s ability to attach to cells of the urinary tract.
