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Prospecting the antibiofilm potential of bioactive secondary metabolites of fungal endophyte Cephalotheca foveolata (N11) against biofilm-forming bacteria
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  • Warda Sarwar,
  • Isswa Iqbal,
  • Qurban Ali,
  • Bilal Ahmed,
  • Safia Ahmad
Warda Sarwar
Quaid-i-Azam University Faculty of Biological Sciences
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Isswa Iqbal
Quaid-i-Azam University Faculty of Biological Sciences
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Qurban Ali
Quaid-i-Azam University Faculty of Biological Sciences
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Bilal Ahmed
Quaid-i-Azam University Faculty of Biological Sciences
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Safia Ahmad
Quaid-i-Azam University Faculty of Biological Sciences

Corresponding Author:safiamrl@yahoo.com

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Abstract

Biofilms are found in diverse environmental settings and are considered to be responsible for various recalcitrant infections. One characteristic feature of biofilms is resistance to antibiotics, which is the leading cause of recurrent infections and treatment failure. Eradicating the biofilms necessitates the need for agents with promising anti-biofilm potentials. In the present study, the secondary metabolites of the fungal endophyte Cephalotheca foveolata (N11) isolated from the woody tissues of the medicinal plant Teucrium stocksianum were investigated for their antibiofilm potential against the test organisms. For evaluating the antibiofilm activities, in-vitro assays including biofilm inhibition and eradication assays were employed. The bioactive metabolites of the N11 strain exhibited the highest biofilm inhibition and eradication potential of 87.62% and 79.22% respectively against S. epidermidis. The results were further validated by light microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscope which revealed considerable distortion of the biofilm architecture by test agents. Besides, the effect of secondary metabolites on biofilms of test strain was also observed using Raman spectroscopy. The Raman spectra of treated biofilms exhibited a significant reduction in the intensities of the peaks indicating the denaturation and conformational changes in biomolecules. Furthermore, the partial purification of antibiofilm metabolites of N11 was carried out using solvent extraction following TLC and silica column with further characterization done using FTIR. These findings highlight the remarkable potential of bioactive secondary metabolites of endophytic fungi associated with Teucrium stocksianum in disrupting the biofilms thus suggesting that these metabolites can be exploited for manufacturing effective agents against biofilm-associated complications.
01 Oct 2024Submitted to Microscopy Research and Technique
03 Oct 2024Submission Checks Completed
03 Oct 2024Assigned to Editor
04 Oct 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
09 Oct 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned