INRS - Institut Armand-Frappier, Laval, QC, Canada.
Lett Appl Microbiol. 2014 May;58(5):447-53. doi: 10.1111/lam.12211. Epub 2014 Jan 24.
Biofilms are omnipresent in clinical and industrial settings and most of the times cause detrimental side effects. Finding efficient strategies to control surface-growing communities of micro-organisms remains a significant challenge. Rhamnolipids are extracellular secondary metabolites with surface-active properties mainly produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. There is growing evidence for the implication of this biosurfactant in different stages of biofilm development of this bacterium. Furthermore, rhamnolipids display a significant potential as anti-adhesive and disrupting agents against established biofilms formed by several bacterial and fungal species. Their low toxicity, biodegradability, efficiency and specificity, compared to synthetic surfactants typically used in biofilm control, might compensate for the economic hurdle still linked to their superior production costs and make them promising antifouling agents.
生物膜普遍存在于临床和工业环境中，大多数情况下会产生有害的副作用。寻找有效的策略来控制微生物表面生长群落仍然是一个重大挑战。鼠李糖脂是一种具有表面活性的胞外次级代谢物，主要由铜绿假单胞菌产生。越来越多的证据表明，这种生物表面活性剂参与了该细菌生物膜形成的不同阶段。此外，鼠李糖脂作为抗粘剂和破坏剂，对由几种细菌和真菌形成的已建立的生物膜具有显著的潜力。与通常用于生物膜控制的合成表面活性剂相比，它们的低毒性、生物降解性、效率和特异性可能弥补其较高生产成本带来的经济障碍，使它们成为有前途的防污剂。
