Effect of non-glycosylated proteins from Melipona beecheii honey on the formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 biofilm

Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic bacterium that can form a biofilm with the ability to colonize different surfaces, in addition to increasing resistance to antibiotics. An alternative to solve this problem may be the use of proteins from Melipona beecheii honey, which are capable of inhibiting the growth of this pathogen. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antibiofilm activity of the non-glycosylated protein fraction (F1) from M. beecheii. The crude protein extract (CPE) and F1 fraction inhibited P. aeruginosa biofilm growth above 80% at 4 and 1.3 µg/mL, respectively. These proteins affected the structure of the biofilm, as well as fleQ and fleR gene expressions involved in the formation and regulation of the P. aeruginosa biofilm. The results demonstrated that the F1 fraction proteins of M. beecheii honey inhibit and affect the formation of the P. aeruginosa biofilm.