Fatty Acids as Antibiofilm and Antivirulence Agents

• Published in: Trends in microbiology (Regular ed.) Vol. 28; no. 9; pp. 753 - 768
• Main Authors: Kumar, Prasun, Lee, Jin-Hyung, Beyenal, Haluk, Lee, Jintae
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2020; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: antibiofilm; Antibiotics; Antimicrobial agents; antivirulence; Biofilms; diffusible signal factors; Fatty acids; Homoserine lactones; Hyphae; Lactones; N-Acyl homoserine lactone; Pili; Quorum sensing; Virulence; diffusible signal factors; quorum sensing; fatty acids; antibiofilm; biofilms; antivirulence
• ISSN: 0966-842X; 1878-4380
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2020.03.014

Fatty acids (FAs) have emerged as a potential alternative to conventional antibiotics. Since many microbes respond differently to a variety of natural and synthetic FAs, substantial efforts have been made to understand the unique features of FAs that function as antimicrobials at high doses and biofilm inhibitors at low doses. Here, we provide an overview of the emerging antibiofilm properties of FAs and their relations to virulence and quorum sensing, such as diffusible signal factors (DSFs), acyl-homoserine lactones, and autoinducer-2 systems. Several FAs mimic DSFs and control motility, fimbriae, hyphae, and biofilm development as well as virulence characteristics of diverse microbes. The findings of FAs as antibiofilm and antivirulence agents will provide a new paradigm to cope with recalcitrant pathogens. The wide-ranging distributions of fatty acids in all forms of life emphasize the importance of the protective roles they play in nature not only as antibacterial agents at higher concentrations but also as inhibitors of bacterial colonization and virulence at low concentrations.A variety of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids inhibit biofilm development by affecting the adhering surface, changing cell-membrane fluidity, reducing EPS, forming fimbriae or hypha, and modulating quorum sensing systems.It is notable that several fatty acids are structurally and functionally similar to diffusible signal factors (DSFs).Combinatorial treatment using antimicrobials with fatty acids as an adjuvant could enhance the biofilm eradication efficacy.Being natural molecules, fatty acids have great potential to attenuate microbial biofilm formation and virulence without generating drug resistance. Repurposing fatty acids as an antibiofilm agent expands the existing antibiotic arsenal against biofilm-forming pathogens.