Natural Anti-biofilm Agents: Strategies to Control Biofilm-Forming Pathogens

Abstract

Pathogenic microorganisms and their chronic pathogenicity are significant concerns in biomedical research. Biofilm-linked persistent infections are not easy to treat due to resident multidrug-resistant microbes. Low efficiency of various treatments and in vivo toxicity of available antibiotics drive the researchers toward the discovery of many effective natural anti-biofilm agents. Natural extracts and natural product-based antibiofilm agents are more efficient than the chemically synthesized counterparts with lesser side effects. The present review primarily focuses on various natural anti-biofilm agents, i.e., phytochemicals, biosurfactants, antimicrobial peptides, and microbial enzymes along with their sources, mechanism of action via interfering in the quorum-sensing pathways, disruption of extracellular polymeric substance, adhesion mechanism, and their inhibitory concentrations existing in literature so far. This study provides a better understanding that a particular natural anti-biofilm molecule exhibits a different mode of actions and biofilm inhibitory activity against more than one pathogenic species. This information can be exploited further to improve the therapeutic strategy by a combination of more than one natural anti-biofilm compounds from diverse sources.

Synthesis, Molecular Docking, and Biofilm Formation Inhibitory Activity of Bis(Indolyl)Pyridines Analogues of the Marine Alkaloid Nortopsentin

“…Microorganisms with the ability to produce biofilms are known as one of the major factors contributing to antibiotic resistance. Therefore, many trials were established to overcome these severe problems by searching for new drugs that could inhibit biofilm formation [ 4 ]. Table 3 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 explained the ability of the most active selected compounds as antibiofilm formation.…”

“…Production of degrading enzymes, low permeability of the bacterial outer membranes, efflux pumps, and modification of targets are patterns of mechanisms used by bacteria to resist the toxicity of antibiotics [ 3 ]. About 60–80% of bacterial infections are biofilm-mediated [ 4 ].…”

Gram-Negative Bacteria Holding Together in a Biofilm: The Acinetobacter baumannii Way

“…Several studies have reported the antiadhesive properties of bioactive compounds, such as phenolics, essential oils, terpenoids, lectins, alkaloids, flavonoids, and polypeptides [ 168 ]. Abirami et al showed that the concentration-based antibiofilm effects of pyrogallol, a polyphenolic organic compound found in the galls and barks of several trees, was due to reduced swarming motility, and the downregulation of genes involved in cell adhesion ( ompA , csuA/B ), and biofilm formation and stabilization ( bap ) [ 138 ].…”

Polymeric Carriers Designed for Encapsulation of Essential Oils with Biological Activity

“…Other authors highlighted the natural products as interesting sources for quorum sensing inhibitors (QSIs), due to their vast chemical diversities with structural complexities and biological activities, offering a promising tool in the treatment of bacterial infections, including those that are biofilm-related [ 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ].…”