Discovery, Efficacy Testing, and Potential Target Identification of Antibiofilm Compounds

Ideal biofilm inhibitors would not affect the growth of bacteria, in general, but would be specific for inhibiting reception of the signals to initiate biofilm formation. In this manner, the inhibitor would not affect the growth of normal flora that are imperative for the health of the host. Compounds that resemble biofilm signaling molecules have the potential to competitively inhibit the receptors from receiving signals. Over 200 novel compounds were synthesized and tested by undergraduate students in a sophomore integrated biology and organic chemistry classroom setting. Compounds that demonstrated a statistically significant inhibition of biofilm formation and that had no bacteriostatic or bactericidal activity in one or more of three species of bacteria ( Bacillus subtilus , Staphylococcus aureus , and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ) in the hands of the undergraduates underwent further testing. Biofilm inhibition and enhancement was confirmed with a modified crystal violet assay, and growth curve analysis confirmed previous disk diffusion and use‐dilution assay results. Hit compounds against Pseudomonas aeruginosa were further tested in a genetics undergraduate classroom using an engineered quorum sensing modulation assay. These results were confirmed in the research laboratory, which along with computational modeling point to LasR as the possible protein target of the novel compounds in Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Support or Funding Information This research is supported by the Mercer University Quality Enhancement Plan: Research that Reaches Out. This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .