Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a bacterium has been evolved depending on its habit and the habitat causing acute and chronic infections in humans and animals. The infection is further facilitated with its modified behavioral and survival strategies which can resist antibiotics and other potential inhibitors. The formation of biofilms, the related cell-to-cell signaling, and the special cascade of effector proteins produced by the secretion systems, in particular, the type-3 secretion system (T3SS) adds as armor to the infection cycle. In the search for alternatives as well as adjuvants to combat antibiotic resistance, numerous commonly available weeds cited in Ayurvedic literature are an important avenue for studies. In this current study, an attempt to explore the ability of twenty such weeds against biofilms of P.aeruginosa was made. To get better insights into the mechanism of anti-biofilm activity of the hydroethanolic extracts, both in vitro (antioxidants and antibiofilm microtitre plate method) and in silico (molecular docking) approaches were tapped. The results indicate that extracts of Atibala (Abutilon indicum) and its polyphenolics possess good inhibitory activity against P.aeruginosa biofilm. This could be further exploited toward newer drug design and development.

Key words: Pseudomonas, Virulence, Phytobioactives, Quorumones, Biofilm strength, Adhesion, Phytomedicine.