Aryl Rhodanines Specifically Inhibit Staphylococcal and Enterococcal Biofilm Formation

Staphylococcus epidermidis andStaphylococcus aureus are the leading causative agents of indwelling medical device infections because of their ability to form biofilms on artificial surfaces. Here we describe the antibiofilm activity of a class of small molecules, the aryl rhodanines, which specifically inhibit biofilm formation ofS. aureus ,S. epidermidis ,Enterococcus faecalis ,E. faecium , andE. gallinarum but not the gram-negative speciesPseudomonas aeruginosa orEscherichia coli . The aryl rhodanines do not exhibit antibacterial activity against any of the bacterial strains tested and are not cytotoxic against HeLa cells. Preliminary mechanism-of-action studies revealed that the aryl rhodanines specifically inhibit the early stages of biofilm development by preventing attachment of the bacteria to surfaces.