Both the ability of bacteria to form biofilms and communicate through quorum sensing allows them to develop different survival or virulence traits that lead to increased bacterial resistance against conventional antibiotic therapy. Here, seventeen essential oils (EOs) were investigated for the antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and anti-quorum sensing activities on Escherichia. coli O157:H7, Escherichia coli O33, and Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228. All essential oils were isolated from plant material by using hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-MS. The antimicrobial activity was performed by using the microdilution technique. Subinhibitory concentrations of each EO were assayed for biofilm inhibition in both bacterial strains. Quantification of violacein in Chromobacterium violaceum CV026 was performed for the anti-quorum sensing activity. The cytotoxicity activity of the EOs was evaluated on Vero cell line by using MTT method. Thymol-carvacrol-chemotype (I and II) oils from Lippia origanoides and Thymus vulgaris oil exhibited the higher antimicrobial activity with MIC values of 0.37–0.75 mg/mL. In addition, these EOs strongly inhibited the biofilm formation and violacein (QS) production in a concentration-dependent manner, highlighting thymol-carvacrol-chemotype (II) oil as the best candidate for further studies in antibiotic design and development against bacterial resistance.

Synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of antibacterial effect of Ag nanoparticles against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Daissy Paredes,1 Claudia Ortiz,2 Rodrigo Torres1 1Escuela de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Colombia; 2Escuela de Bacteriología y Laboratorio Clínico, Facultad de Salud, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Colombia Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been shown great interest because of their potential antibacterial effect. Recently, this has been increased due to resistance in some pathogenic bacteria strains to conventional antibiotics, which has initiated new studies to search for more effective treatments against resistant microorganisms. For these reasons, AgNPs have become an important approach for applications in nanobiotechnology in the development of antibiotic treatment of different bacterial infections. This study was aimed at synthesizing AgNPs using cysteine as a reducer agent and cetyl-tri-methyl-ammonium bromide as a stabilizer in order to obtain more efficient treatment against the pathogen bacteria Escherichia coli O157:H7. These AgNPs were characterized through UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering. From these analyses, formation of spherical nanoparticles with an average size of 55 nm was confirmed. Finally, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericide concentration (MBC) of these AgNPs against pathogenic strains E. coli O157:H7 and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were determined in both solid and liquid media. MIC and MBC values were around 0.25 µg/mL and 1 µg/mL, respectively. These parameters were comparable to those reported in the literature and were even more effective than other synthesized AgNPs. Keywords: nanomaterials, antibacterial activity, minimal inhibitory concentration, MIC, minimal bactericide concentration, MBC

Biofilm as a cellular conformation confers survival properties to microbial populations and favors microbial resistance. Here, we investigated the antimicrobial, antibiofilm, antimotility, antihemolytic activity, and the interaction with synthetic membranes of 15 essential oils (EOs) on E. coli ATCC 25922 and S. aureus ATCC 29213. Antimicrobial activity of EOs was determined through microdilution method; development of the biofilm was assessed using the crystal violet assay and SEM microscopy. Results indicate that Lippia origanoides thymol–carvacrol II chemotype (LTC II) and Thymus vulgaris (TV) exhibited a significant antibacterial activity, with MIC values of 0.45 and 0.75 mg/mL, respectively. The percentage of biofilm formation inhibition was greater than 70% at subinhibitory concentrations (MIC₅₀) for LTC II EO. The results demonstrate that these two oils had significantly reduced the hemolytic effect of S. aureus by 54% and 32%, respectively, and the mobility capacity by swimming in E. coli with percentages of decrease of 55% and 47%, respectively. The results show that LTC II and TV EOs can interact with the hydrophobic core of lipid bilayers and alter the physicochemical properties of membranes. The findings suggest that LTC II and TV oils may potentially be used to aid in the treatment of S. aureus and E. coli infections.

The emergence of multidrug resistant microorganisms represents a global challenge due to the lack of new effective antimicrobial agents. In this sense, essential oils (EOs) are an alternative to be considered because of their anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, and antibiofilm biological activities. Therefore, multiple efforts have been made to consider the potential use of EOs in the treatment of infections which are caused by resistant microorganisms. In this study, 15 EOs of both Colombian and introduced aromatic plants were evaluated against pathogenic strains of E. coli O157:H7 and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in planktonic and sessile states in order to identify relevant and promising alternatives for the treatment of microbial infections. Forty different compounds were identified in the 15 EO with nine of them constituted mainly by oxygenated monoterpenes (OM). EOs from Lippia origanoides, chemotypes thymol, and carvacrol, displayed the highest antibacterial activity against E. coli O157:H7 (MIC₅₀ = 0.9 and 0.3 mg/mL, respectively) and MRSA (MIC₅₀ = 1.2 and 0.6 mg/mL, respectively). These compounds from EOs had also the highest antibiofilm activity (inhibition percentage > 70.3%). Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), changes in the size and morphology of both bacteria were observed when they were exposed to sub-inhibitory concentrations of L. origanoides EO carvacrol chemotype. EOs from L. origanoides, thymol, and carvacrol chemotypes represented a viable alternative for the treatment of microbial infections; however, the Selectivity Index (SI ≤ 3) indicated that it was necessary to study alternatives to reduce its in vitro cytotoxicity.

Two different heterofunctional octyl-amino supports have been prepared using ethylenediamine and hexylendiamine (OCEDA and OCHDA) and utilized to immobilize five lipases (lipases A (CALA) and B (CALB) from Candida antarctica, lipases from Thermomyces lanuginosus (TLL), from Rhizomucor miehei (RML) and from Candida rugosa (CRL) and the phospholipase Lecitase Ultra (LU). Using pH 5 and 50 mM sodium acetate, the immobilizations proceeded via interfacial activation on the octyl layer, after some ionic bridges were established. These supports did not release enzyme when incubated at Triton X-100 concentrations that released all enzyme molecules from the octyl support. The octyl support produced significant enzyme hyperactivation, except for CALB. However, the activities of the immobilized enzymes were usually slightly higher using the new supports than the octyl ones. Thermal and solvent stabilities of LU and TLL were significantly improved compared to the OC counterparts, while in the other enzymes the stability decreased in most cases (depending on the pH value). As a general rule, OCEDA had lower negative effects on the stability of the immobilized enzymes than OCHDA and while in solvent inactivation the enzyme molecules remained attached to the support using the new supports and were released using monofunctional octyl supports, in thermal inactivations this only occurred in certain cases.