ANTI-BIOFILM POTENTIALITY OF ALTERNANTHERA PHILOXEROIDES: A STUDY WITH METHANOLIC PLANT EXTRACT.

Abhijit Bhattacharjee, Anamika Das, Manash C. Das, Antu Das and Surajit Bhattacharjee*

ABSTRACT

Alternanthera philoxeroides is a well-known ethnomedicinal plant of Tripura. Ethnic communities of the state use several parts including aerial parts and leaves of this plant for the treatment of several ailments like stomach infection, diarrhoea, appetiser etc. With this background we have proposed to perform chemical characterisation, investigation of antimicrobial and antibiofilm potentiality of methanolic extract of aerial parts of Alternanthera philoxeroides (APME) against biofilm causing model microorganism Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Biofilms are clustered form of microorganisms attached to a substratum. Biofilm causing microorganisms (e.g. Pseudomonas aeruginosa) have been found to cause chronic inflammatory, infectious diseases and can become resistant to antibiotics. In the present study, APME has shown the presence of UV active phytochemicals as evident from UV-Vis spectroscopy and biochemical colour tests. APME has executed maximum 65.23% antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 100 μg/ml dose. At sub-inhibitory dose (10 μg/ml), APME has exerted maximum 32.57% antibiofilm activity as analysed by safranin staining, protein extraction and EPS quantification assay. Effect of APME on attenuation of bacterial biofilm was validated by observation under fluorescent microscope. The extract at 10 μg/ml concentration also executes maximum attenuation in bacterial swarming motility. All these findings suggest that APME is a potential phyto-therapeutic extract which may be employed to formulate preventive strategies against biofilm associated infections caused by P. aeruginosa.

Keywords: Alternanthera philoxeroides, Pseudomonas areuginosa, Antimicrobial, Antibiofilm, Motility.