Inhibition of Bacterial and Fungal Biofilm Formation by 675 Extracts from Microalgae and Cyanobacteria

Abstract

Bacterial biofilms are complex biological systems that are difficult to eradicate at a medical, industrial, or environmental level. Biofilms confer bacteria protection against external factors and antimicrobial treatments. Taking into account that about 80% of human infections are caused by bacterial biofilms, the eradication of these structures is a great priority. Biofilms are resistant to old-generation antibiotics, which has led to the search for new antimicrobials from different sources, including deep oceans/seas. In this study, 675 extracts obtained from 225 cyanobacteria and microalgae species (11 phyla and 6 samples belonging to unknown group) were obtained from different culture collections: The Blue Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology Culture Collection (LEGE-CC), the Coimbra Collection of Algae (ACOI) from Portugal, and the Roscoff Culture Collection (RCC) from France. The largest number of samples was made up of the microalgae phylum <i>Chlorophyta</i> (270) followed by Cyanobacteria (261). To obtain a large range of new bioactive compounds, a method involving three consecutive extractions (hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol) was used. The antibiofilm activity of extracts was determined against seven different bacterial species and two <i>Candida</i> strains in terms of minimal biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC). The highest biofilm inhibition rates (%) were achieved against <i>Candida albicans</i> and <i>Enterobacter cloacae</i>. <i>Charophyta</i>, <i>Chlorophyta</i>, and Cyanobacteria were the most effective against all microorganisms. In particular, extracts of <i>Cercozoa</i> phylum presented the lowest MBIC₅₀ and MBIC₉₀ values for all the strains except <i>C. albicans</i>.