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Actinobacteria-a promising natural source of anti-biofilm agents

Azman AS, Mawang CI, Khairat JE, AbuBakar S

Int Microbiol, 2019 Dec;22(4):403-409.
PMID: 30847714 DOI: 10.1007/s10123-019-00066-4

A biofilm is a community of microorganisms attached to a surface and embedded in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances. Biofilms confer resistance towards conventional antibiotic treatments; thus, there is an urgent need for newer and more effective antimicrobial agents that can act against these biofilms. Due to this situation, various studies have been done to investigate the anti-biofilm effects of natural products including bioactive compounds extracted from microorganisms such as Actinobacteria. This review provides an insight into the anti-biofilm potential of Actinobacteria against various pathogenic bacteria, which hopefully provides useful information, guidance, and improvements for future antimicrobial studies. Nevertheless, further research on the anti-biofilm mechanisms and compound modifications to produce more potent anti-biofilm effects are required.
Identification of α-tocopherol as a bioactive component of Dicranopteris linearis with disrupting property against preformed biofilm of Staphylococcus aureus

Mawang CI, Lim YY, Ong KS, Muhamad A, Lee SM

J Appl Microbiol, 2017 Nov;123(5):1148-1159.
PMID: 28869803 DOI: 10.1111/jam.13578

AIMS: The potential of Dicranopteris linearis leaves' extract and its bioactive components were investigated for the first time for its disrupting ability against Staphylococcus aureus biofilms.
METHODS AND RESULTS: The leaves of D. linearis were subjected to sonication-assisted extraction using hexane (HEX), dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and methanol (MeOH). It was found that only the MeOH fraction exhibited antimicrobial activity using broth microdilution assay; while all four fractions do not exhibit biofilm inhibition activity against S. aureusATCC 6538P, S. aureusATCC 43300, S. aureusATCC 33591 and S. aureusATCC 29213 using crystal violet assay. Among the four fractions tested, only the HEX fraction showed biofilm disrupting ability, with 60-90% disruption activity at 5 mg ml-1against all four S. aureus strains tested. Bioassay-guided purification of the active fraction has led to the isolation of α-tocopherol. α-Tocopherol does not affect the cells within the biofilms but instead affects the biofilm matrix in order to disrupt S. aureus biofilms.
CONCLUSIONS: α-Tocopherol was identified to be the bioactive component of D. linearis with disruption activity against S. aureus biofilm matrix.
SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The use of α-tocopherol as a biofilm disruptive agent might potentially be useful to treat biofilm-associated infections in the future.
Direct Detection of Lyme Borrelia: Recent Advancement and Use of Aptamer Technology

Nik Kamarudin NAA, Mawang CI, Ahamad M

Biomedicines, 2023 Oct 18;11(10).
PMID: 37893191 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11102818

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (B. burgdorferi s.l.), which is predominantly spread by ticks, is the cause of Lyme disease (LD), also known as Lyme borreliosis, one of the zoonotic diseases affecting people. In recent years, LD has become more prevalent worldwide, even in countries with no prior records. Currently, Lyme Borrelia detection is achieved through nucleic acid amplification, antigen detection, microscopy, and in vitro culture. Nevertheless, these methods lack sensitivity in the early phase of the disease and, thus, are unable to confirm active infection. This review briefly discusses the existing direct detection methods of LD. Furthermore, this review also introduces the use of aptamer technology integrated with biosensor platforms to detect the Borrelia antigen. This aptamer technology could be explored using other biosensor platforms targeting whole Borrelia cells or specific molecules to enhance Borrelia detection in the future.
Fulltext Actinobacteria: An eco-friendly and promising technology for the bioaugmentation of contaminants

Mawang CI, Azman AS, Fuad AM, Ahamad M

Biotechnol Rep (Amst), 2021 Dec;32:e00679.
PMID: 34660214 DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2021.e00679

Over the past two decades, various eco-friendly approaches utilizing microbial species to clean up contaminated environments have surfaced. In this aspect, actinobacteria have demonstrated their potential in contaminant degradation. The members of actinobacteria phylum exhibits a cosmopolitan distribution, which means that they can be found widely in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Actinobacteria play important ecological roles in the environment, such as degrading complex polymers, recycling compounds, and producing bioactive molecules. Hence, using actinobacteria to clean up contaminants is an attractive method in the field of biotechnology. This can be achieved through the green technology of bioaugmentation, whereby the degradative capacity of contaminated areas can be greatly improved through the introduction of specific microorganisms. This review describes actinobacteria as an eco-friendly and a promising technology for the bioaugmentation of contaminants, with focus on pesticides and heavy metals.
Current anti-biofilm strategies and potential of antioxidants in biofilm control

Ong KS, Mawang CI, Daniel-Jambun D, Lim YY, Lee SM

Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther, 2018 11;16(11):855-864.
PMID: 30308132 DOI: 10.1080/14787210.2018.1535898

INTRODUCTION: Biofilm formation is a strategy for microorganisms to adapt and survive in hostile environments. Microorganisms that are able to produce biofilms are currently recognized as a threat to human health. Areas covered: Many strategies have been employed to eradicate biofilms, but several drawbacks from these methods had subsequently raised concerns on the need for alternative approaches to effectively prevent biofilm formation. One of the main mechanisms that drives a microorganism to transit from a planktonic to a biofilm-sessile state, is oxidative stress. Chemical agents that could target oxidative stress regulators, for instance antioxidants, could therefore be used to treat biofilm-associated infections. Expert commentary: The focus of this review is to summarize the function and limitation of the current anti-biofilm strategies and will propose the use of antioxidants as an alternative method to treat, prevent and eradicate biofilms. Studies have shown that water-soluble and lipid-soluble antioxidants can reduce and prevent biofilm formation, by influencing the expression of genes associated with oxidative stress. Further in vivo work should be conducted to ensure the efficacy of these antioxidants in a biological environment. Nevertheless, antioxidants are promising anti-biofilm agents, and thus is a potential solution for biofilm-associated infections in the future.