Inhibition of and biofilms by centipede oil and linoleic acid.

Microbial biofilms are associated with persistent infections because of their high tolerance to antimicrobial agents and host defenses. The effects of centipede oil from and its main components were investigated to identify non-toxic biofilm inhibitors. Centipede oil and linoleic acid at 20 µg ml markedly inhibited biofilm formation by two fluconazole-resistant strains and three strains without affecting their planktonic cell growth. Also, both centipede oil and linoleic acid inhibited hyphal growth and cell aggregation by . In addition, centipede oil and linoleic acid showed anti-biofilm activities against mixed and biofilms. Transcriptomic analysis showed that centipede oil and linoleic acid downregulated the expressions of several hypha/biofilm-related genes in and α-hemolysin in . Furthermore, both compounds effectively reduced virulence in a nematode infection model with minimal toxicity.