Role of Nanocurcumin as a Surface Modifying Agent with Excellent Preventive Effect on Device-Related CoNS Infections

Abstract

The study focused on the analysis of efficiency of curcumin and nanocurcumin (NC) against biofilm-forming methicillin-resistant clinical isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus haemolyticus. Antibacterial, minimum inhibitory concentration and antibiofilm activities of both curcumin and NC were carried out, and the specific changes were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Surface modifying effect of NC was further analyzed by coating it onto nasogastric polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubes followed by challenging it with selected pathogens, and the results were visualized by scanning electron microscopy. Curcumin and NC were found to have antibacterial effects at a concentration of 100 and 10 µg mL−1, respectively. Also 250 and 500 µg mL−1 concentrations of NC were found to have 99% inhibition on biofilm formation of S. epidermidis and S. haemolyticus. TEM analysis of NC-treated coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) samples showed remarkable inhibition of biofilm formation with the complete lysis of bacterial cell. NC functionalization showed excellent preventive effect on bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on nasogastric PVC catheters and hence has the promises to be used as alternative chemotherapeutic agents. The current study forms the first report on detailed investigation on potential of NC as an effective agent against CoNS, which is well known for biomedical infection.