Mini Review of Phytochemicals and Plant Taxa with Activity as Microbial Biofilm and Quorum Sensing Inhibitors

Abstract

Abstract:Microbial biofilms readily form on many surfaces in nature including plant surfaces. In order to coordinate the formation of these biofilms, microorganisms use a cell-to-cell communication system called quorum sensing (QS). As formation of biofilms on vascular plants may not be advantageous to the hosts, plants have developed inhibitors to interfere with these processes. In this mini review, research papers published on plant-derived molecules that have microbial biofilm or quorum sensing inhibition are reviewed with the objectives of determining the biosynthetic classes of active compounds, their biological activity in assays, and their families of occurrence and range.The main findings are the identification of plant phenolics, including benzoates, phenyl propanoids, stilbenes, flavonoids, gallotannins, proanthocyanidins and coumarins as important inhibitors with both activities. Some terpenes including monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes and triterpenes also have anti-QS and anti-biofilm activities. Relatively few alkaloids were reported. Quinones and organosulfur compounds, especially from garlic, were also active. A common feature is the polar nature of these compounds. Phytochemicals with these activities are widespread in Angiosperms in temperate and tropical regions, but gymnosperms, bryophytes and pteridophytes were not represented.

The effect of Thymus vulgaris on growth and biofilm formation of uropathogenic Escherichia coli

“…The results indicated that uropathogenic E. coli exopolysaccharide production was inhibited by T. vulgaris using calcoflour dye, and also indicated that thymol and carvacrol (monoterpenes) had a strong inhibitory effect (data not shown) on the uropathogenic E. coli biofilm formation. These results are in agreement with previous results, which demonstrated that thymol and carvacrol are effective against biofilms of Gram-positive and negative bacteria (Ta and Arnason, 2016;Upadhyay et al, 2013). The thymol inhibited the formation of L. monocytogenes biofilms and genes critical to biofilm development were down regulated at concentration of 0.5 mM.…”

“…Although, the minimum inhibitory concentration of T. vulgaris was calculated as 4 μg mL -1 , to inhibit the E. coli biofilm, a higher concentration was required because the essential oil was esterified. Microbial biofilms organized aggregations of cells attached to a substratum and surrounded by a self-produced extrapolymeric substance (EPS) matrix (Ta and Arnason, 2016).…”

Extremophilic Natrinema versiforme Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Quorum Sensing and Biofilm

“…Quorum quenching properties of benzoic acid and derivatives have been also reported against different bacteria species such as E. coli and V. harveyi (Brackman et al, 2009;Ta and Arnason, 2016). In our study, trans 4-(2-carboxy-vinyl) benzoic acid showed higher QS inhibitory potential than the tested extracts (CEs and CFSEs).…”

Equibiotics: a new type of phyto-drug equilibrating local microbiota

“…In addition, everything seems to indicate that the flavonoid and alkaloidal effects are also related to their ability to interfere with efflux pumps and the mechanism of "quorum sensing" (QS) of undesirable bacteria in the ecosystem, a complex mechanism of action yet to be tested experimentally [34][35][36][37][38].…”