Fire Ant Venom Alkaloids Inhibit Biofilm Formation
Danielle Bruno de Carvalho,
Eduardo Gonçalves Paterson Fox,
Diogo Gama dos Santos,
Joab Sampaio de Sousa,
Denise Maria Guimarães Freire,
Fabio C. S. Nogueira,
Gilberto B. Domont,
Livia Vieira Araujo de Castilho,
Ednildo de Alcântara Machado
Affiliations
Danielle Bruno de Carvalho
Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos, Chagas Filho (IBCCF), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21044-020, Brazil
Eduardo Gonçalves Paterson Fox
Red Imported Fire Ant Research Centre, South China Agricultural University (SCAU), Guangzhou 510642, China
Diogo Gama dos Santos
Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos, Chagas Filho (IBCCF), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21044-020, Brazil
Joab Sampaio de Sousa
Departamento de Bioquímica (DBq), Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21044-020, Brazil
Denise Maria Guimarães Freire
Departamento de Bioquímica (DBq), Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21044-020, Brazil
Fabio C. S. Nogueira
Departamento de Bioquímica (DBq), Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21044-020, Brazil
Gilberto B. Domont
Departamento de Bioquímica (DBq), Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21044-020, Brazil
Livia Vieira Araujo de Castilho
Departamento de Bioquímica (DBq), Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21044-020, Brazil
Ednildo de Alcântara Machado
Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos, Chagas Filho (IBCCF), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21044-020, Brazil
Biofilm formation on exposed surfaces is a serious issue for the food industry and medical health facilities. There are many proposed strategies to delay, reduce, or even eliminate biofilm formation on surfaces. The present study focuses on the applicability of fire ant venom alkaloids (aka ‘solenopsins’, from Solenopsis invicta) tested on polystyrene and stainless steel surfaces relative to the adhesion and biofilm-formation by the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens. Conditioning with solenopsins demonstrates significant reduction of bacterial adhesion. Inhibition rates were 62.7% on polystyrene and 59.0% on stainless steel surfaces. In addition, solenopsins drastically reduced cell populations already growing on conditioned surfaces. Contrary to assumptions by previous authors, solenopsins tested negative for amphipathic properties, thus understanding the mechanisms behind the observed effects still relies on further investigation.
