Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering (IBB), Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal.
Curr Microbiol. 2011 Oct;63(4):354-9. doi: 10.1007/s00284-011-9984-3. Epub 2011 Jul 29.
Staphylococcus epidermidis is the most frequent cause of nosocomial sepsis and catheter-related infections in which biofilm formation is considered to be one of the main virulence mechanisms. Moreover, their increased resistance to conventional antibiotic therapy enhances the need to develop new therapeutical agents. Farnesol, a natural sesquiterpenoid present in many essential oils, has been described as impairing bacterial growth. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of farnesol on the structure and composition of biofilm matrix of S. epidermidis. Biofilms formed in the presence of farnesol (300 μM) contained less biomass, and displayed notable changes in the composition of the biofilm matrix. Changes in the spacial structure were also verified by confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM). The results obtained by the quantification of extracellular polymers and by wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) fluorescent detection of glycoproteins containing β(1→4)-N-acetyl-D: -glucosamine support the hypothesis that farnesol causes disruption of the cytoplasmic membrane and consequently release of cellular content.
表皮葡萄球菌是医院感染和导管相关感染中最常见的病原体，生物膜形成被认为是其主要毒力机制之一。此外，它们对传统抗生素治疗的耐药性增加，使得人们迫切需要开发新的治疗药物。法尼醇是一种存在于多种精油中的天然倍半萜烯，已被描述为能抑制细菌生长。本研究旨在评估法尼醇对表皮葡萄球菌生物膜基质结构和组成的影响。在法尼醇（300μM）存在下形成的生物膜中，生物量减少，生物膜基质的组成发生明显变化。共聚焦扫描激光显微镜（CSLM）也证实了空间结构的变化。通过对细胞外聚合物的定量和用麦胚凝集素（WGA）荧光检测含β（1→4）-N-乙酰-D：-葡萄糖胺的糖蛋白，证实了法尼醇导致细胞质膜破裂，从而导致细胞内容物释放的假说。
