Abstract
Background: The use and potential commercial application of biosurfactants in the medical field has increased during the past decade. Their antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral activities make them relevant molecules for applications in combating many diseases and as therapeutic agents. In addition, their role as antiadhesive agents against several pathogens indicates their utility as suitable anti-adhesive coating agents for medical insertional materials leading to a reduction in a large number of hospital infections. In the present study the ability of the Lactobacillus acidophilus biosurfactant to inhibit the Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm on Foley catheter and microtiter plate wells were investigated.
Materials and Methods: The surfaces were coated with biosurfactant solution, subsequently the tested bacteria were inoculated to the surfaces. Quantification of biofilm was performed by a spectrophotometric method (measuring the optical density (OD540)), which measures the total biofilm biomass, including bacterial cells and extracellular matrix.
Results: The amounts of biofilm were determined after 24 hr of incubation. biosurfactant layers caused a marked inhibition of Enterococcus faecalis biofilm formation on microtiter plate well (OD= 0.227) and Foley catheter (OD= 0.112) compare with uncoated surfaces (OD= 0.439, 0.297 respectively), similar antiadhesive activity were obtained on Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm, as the amount of biofilm formation on microtiter plate well (OD=0.118) and Foley catheter (OD=0.099) were reduced markedly when compare with uncoated surface (OD=0.213,0.188 respectively). The biofilm amount formed by Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus epidermidis were reduced by 48.2% and 44.6 % on microtiter plate wells and 62.2% and 47.3% on Foley catheter respectively, after coating those surfaces by biosurfactants.
Conclusions: Biosurfactants have the potential to be used as a preventive strategy to delay the onset of pathogenic biofilm growth on catheters and other materials, thus may lowering the large number of hospital infections without the use of synthetic drugs and chemicals.