Abstract
Traditional plant-based remedies hold vast potential as novel antimicrobial agents, particularly for recalcitrant infection states such as biofilms. To explore their potential, it is important to bring these remedies out of historical treatises, and into present-day scientific evaluation. Using an example of Indian traditional medicine (Ayurveda), we present a perspective toward evaluating historical remedies for anti-biofilm potential. Across compendia, we identified three plant-based remedies (of Kalanchoe pinnata, Cynodon dactylon, and Ocimum tenuiflorum) recommended for wounds. The remedies were reconstituted in accordance with historical practices, and tested for their effects on biofilm formation and eradication assays of wound pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Based on our approach and the results obtained, we provide insights into the considerations and challenges related to identifying potential remedies in historical texts, and testing them in the laboratory with standard biofilm assays. We believe this will be relevant for future studies exploring anti-biofilm approaches at the interface of historical medicine and present-day scientific practices.
Highlights
Biofilms are multicellular aggregates of bacteria, attached to each other or a surface, via a selfproduced extracellular matrix (Flemming et al, 2016)
A recent set of technical guidelines have been published to enable consistent testing and reporting (Allkja et al, 2020). These widely-employed assays lend well as “screening” platforms. While these assays have been used to test various natural antimicrobial compounds, they are usually single ingredients and chemical extracts; here we show that these assays can be used to test “whole” traditional remedies
A significant reduction in the viability of pre-formed S. aureus biofilms was seen with sesame oil, KPE-SO, CDE-SO and OTE-SO
Summary
Biofilms are multicellular aggregates of bacteria, attached to each other or a surface, via a selfproduced extracellular matrix (Flemming et al, 2016). There is a concerted push to develop novel anti-biofilm agents, that will expand therapeutic options, and prolong the lifetime of current antibiotics. Traditional medical practices have been recognized as valuable sources of potential new antimicrobial agents (Yuan et al, 2016). These practices employ natural products, often from plant sources, thereby providing a huge diversity of active ingredients and biological targets. Prospecting historical antimicrobial remedies as potential anti-biofilm agents could provide a paradigm shift in the treatment of biofilms
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