Novel Glycolipids Synthesized Using Plant Essential Oils and Their Application in Quorum Sensing Inhibition and as Antibiofilm Agents

Abstract

Essential oils (EOs) form an important part of traditional medicine so their anti-microbial and, in the recent past, antiquorum sensing activity has been well studied. However it is likely that due to their hydrophobic nature and reduced solubility in aqueous environments full potential of their activity cannot be realized. hence it is only rational to formulate a process to make these molecules more polar in nature. The present paper reports synthesis of sophorolipids using 12 different essential oils as substrates, thus providing surfactant-like properties to these EOs. The synthesis protocol makes the use of Candida bombicola ATCC 22214 as producer organism. The production process required 7 days of incubation at 28°C and 180 rpm. Preliminary characterization of the synthesized essential oil sophorolipids (EOSLs) was performed using thin layer chromatography (TLC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Additionally, essential oils that were incapable of mediating quorum sensing inhibition (QSI) on their own became potent quorum sensing inhibitors upon conversion into their corresponding EOSLs. Antibiofilm potential of these EOSLs was also demonstrated using V. cholerae as test organism. Use of essential oils as substrates for glycolipid synthesis has not been attempted previously, and hence this is the first report.

Biofilm Formation Caused by Clinical Acinetobacter baumannii Isolates Is Associated with Overexpression of the AdeFGH Efflux Pump

“…Our results indicate a significant correlation between the upregulation of the abaI gene and the augmentation of biofilm formation during the transition from planktonic to biofilm cells, suggesting a link between QS and biofilm formation in A. baumannii. Multidrug efflux pumps have been reported to have a central role in drug resistance, cell division, pathogenicity, and, in a recent report, QS signal secretion (39,40). In this study, the positive correlation observed between biofilm formation and upregulation of the adeB and adeG genes in A-IV-type A. baumannii and of adeG in A-III-type A. baumannii creates a link between the RND family of efflux pumps and A. baumannii biofilms.…”

Microbial biosurfactants: current trends and applications in agricultural and biomedical industries

“…). Mukherji and Prabhune () reported antibiofilm activity of SL against Vibrio cholerae , indicating that it is likely to be broad spectrum. The morphological changes in microbial cells as a result of SL treatment (Haque et al .…”

“…Previously, numerous studies have shown that biosurfactants inhibit biofilm formation by preventing adhesion of micro-organisms to solid surfaces (Kuiper et al 2004;Rodrigues et al 2004;Rivardo et al 2009;Janek et al 2012). Mukherji and Prabhune (2014) reported antibiofilm activity of SL against Vibrio cholerae, indicating that it is likely to be broad spectrum. The morphological changes in microbial cells as a result of SL treatment (Haque et al 2016) may go some way towards explaining the broad-spectrum nature of SLs and other biosurfactants (Haque et al 2016).…”

Microbial biofilms: biosurfactants as antibiofilm agents

“…This produces sophorolipids that inhibit biofilms of V. cholerae (Mukherji and Prabhune 2014). Other strains of yeast such as Candida sphaerica have also been reported to produce biosurfactants such as Iunasan ).…”