Anna Goc, Aleksandra Niedzwiecki, Matthias Rath

Presented at: 7th ASM Conference on Biofilms, October 24-29, 2015, Chicago, IL

Published in: American Society for Microbiology Final Program, pg. 43, Poster #153

Background: Little is known about the activity of phytochemicals against biofilm of Borrelia sp. causing Lyme disease. To better understand the effects of such compounds, we studied the anti-biofilm efficacy of several plant-derived compounds against two species of Borrelia. Methods: The effect of 15 plant-derived compounds on planktonic and mature biofilm cultures of Borrelia burgdorferi (prevalent in the USA) and Borrelia garinii (prevalent in Europe) was assessed in 48-well chambers coated with collagen type I, followed by staining with crystal violet and LIVE/DEAD BacLight fluorescence dye. Qualitative and quantitative measurements were supported by Student t-test statistical analysis. All experiments were performed in triplicates. Results: The results showed that the most potent substances against planktonic and biofilm cultures of Borrelia burgdorferi were cis-2-decenoic acid, baicalein, monolaurin, and kelp; whereas, only baicalein and monolaurin revealed significant activity against the biofilm of Borrelia garinii. Conclusions: The most effective antimicrobial compounds against biofilm of the two tested Borrelia sp. were baicalein and monolaurin. This might indicate that the presence of fatty acid and phenyl groups is important for the antibacterial activity. Moreover, the study reveals the potential of phytochemicals as a tool in the fight against the biofilm of Borrelia sp.