Quorum-Quenching and Matrix-Degrading Enzymes in Multilayer Coatings Synergistically Prevent Bacterial Biofilm Formation on Urinary Catheters

• Published in: ACS applied materials & interfaces Vol. 7; no. 49; pp. 27066 - 27077
• Main Authors: Ivanova, Kristina, Fernandes, Margarida M, Francesko, Antonio, Mendoza, Ernest, Guezguez, Jamil, Burnet, Michael, Tzanov, Tzanko
• Format: Journal Article Publication
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 16.12.2015
• Subjects: acylase; amylase; Biocompatible Materials - chemistry; Biocompatible Materials - pharmacology; Biofilms; Biofilms - drug effects; Catheters; Catèters; Enginyeria química; Escherichia coli - drug effects; exopolysaccharides; in vitro and in vivo biofilm prevention; Medicina; Medicine; multilayer coatings; Pseudomonas aeruginosa - drug effects; quorum quenching; Quorum Sensing; Staphylococcus aureus - drug effects; urinary catheters; Urinary Catheters - microbiology; Àrees temàtiques de la UPC; quorum quenching; urinary catheters; acylase; exopolysaccharides; amylase; multilayer coatings; in vitro and in vivo biofilm prevention
• ISSN: 1944-8244; 1944-8252
• DOI: 10.1021/acsami.5b09489

Bacteria often colonize in-dwelling medical devices and grow as complex biofilm communities of cells embedded in a self-produced extracellular polymeric matrix, which increases their resistance to antibiotics and the host immune system. During biofilm growth, bacterial cells cooperate through specific quorum-sensing (QS) signals. Taking advantage of this mechanism of biofilm formation, we hypothesized that interrupting the communication among bacteria and simultaneously degrading the extracellular matrix would inhibit biofilm growth. To this end, coatings composed of the enzymes acylase and α-amylase, able to degrade bacterial QS molecules and polysaccharides, respectively, were built on silicone urinary catheters using a layer-by-layer deposition technique. Multilayer coatings of either acylase or amylase alone suppressed the biofilm formation of corresponding Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus. Further assembly of both enzymes in hybrid nanocoatings resulted in stronger biofilm inhibition as a function of acylase or amylase position in the layers. Hybrid coatings, with the QS-signal-degrading acylase as outermost layer, demonstrated 30% higher antibiofilm efficiency against medically relevant Gram-negative bacteria compared to that of the other assemblies. These nanocoatings significantly reduced the occurrence of single-species (P. aeruginosa) and mixed-species (P. aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) biofilms on silicone catheters under both static and dynamic conditions. Moreover, in an in vivo animal model, the quorum quenching and matrix degrading enzyme assemblies delayed the biofilm growth up to 7 days.