A biofilm is formed as a result of adhesion of microorganisms to various surfaces with the production of extracellular polymers (polysaccharides and proteins). Biofilms cause serious problems in the chemical, medical and pharmaceutical industries. Recent findings indicate that some natural phenolic compounds found in plants have an anti-biofouling effect on biofilm formation by Gram-negative bacteria. The anti-biofouling activities of 14 selected phenol and natural phenolic compounds were tested against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, using a microtiter-plate. A modified microtiter-plate assay was used because it enabled indirect measurement of bacterial cells attached to the surface of the wells. This assay involved fixing the bacterial film with methanol, staining with crystal violet dye and then releasing the bound dye with 33% glacial acetic acid. The optical density (OD) of the solution was measured at 570 nm by using an automated ICN Flow Titertek Multiscan Plus reader. Phenol and natural phenolic compounds except ethyl linoleate and tocopherol showed a significant reduction in biofilm formation by P. aeruginosa.

Anacardic acid, separated from cashew nut shell liquid, is well known for its strong antibiotic and antioxidant activities. Recent findings indicate that phenolic compounds from plant sources have an effect on Gram-negative bacteria biofilm formation. In this work, a polyphenolic coating was prepared from anacardic acid using enzymatic synthesis and tested for its effects on biofilm formation of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Natural anacardic acid was enzymatically polymerized using soybean peroxidase. Hydrogen peroxide and phenothiazine-10-propionic acid were used as an oxidizing agent and redox mediator, respectively. Nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses showed the formation of oxyphenylene and phenylene units through the phenol rings. No linkage through the alkyl chain was observed, which proved a high chemo-selectivity of the enzyme. Aqueous solvents turned out to play an important role in the polymer production yield and molecular weight. With 2-propanol, the highest production yield (61%) of polymer (molecular weight = 3,900) was observed, and with methanol, higher-molecular-weight polymers (5,000) were produced with lower production yields (43%). The resulting polyanacardic acid was cross-linked on a solid surface to form a permanent natural polymer coating. The FTIR analysis indicates that the cross-linking between the polymers took place through the unsaturated alkyl side chains. The polyanacardic acid coating was then tested for its antibiofouling effect against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and compared with the antibiofouling effects of polycardanol coatings reported in the literature. The polyanacardic acid coating showed more reduction in biofilm formation on its surface than polycardanol coatings in the case of Gram-positive bacteria, while in the case of Gram-negative bacteria, it showed a similar reduction in biofilm formation as polycardanol.

Soybean peroxidase (20 mg) catalyzed the oxidative polymerization of cardanol in 2-propanol/phospate buffer solution (25 ml, 1:1 v/v) and yielded 62% polycardanol over 6 h. Cobalt naphthenate (0.5% w/w) catalyzed the crosslinking of polycardanol and the final hardness of crosslinked polycardanol film exceeded 9 H scale as pencil scratch hardness, which shows a high potential as a commercial coating material. In addition, it showed an excellent anti-biofouling activity to Pseudomonas fluorescens compared to other polymeric materials such as polypropylene.

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