Antibiofilm activity of Verbascum pinnatifidum Vahl. ethanolic extract

Microbial biofilms pose health risks in clinical environments, food industry and drinking water systems. Microorganisms within biofilms are more resistant to antibiotics and chemical agents than planktonic cells in suspension. New alternatives for controlling infections have been proposed focusing on the therapeutic properties of medicinal plants and their antibiofilm activities. Here, we investigated in vitro antibiofilm activity of ethanol extract of Verbas-cum pinnatifidum Vahl. against Escherichia coli NRRL B-3704, Pseudomo-nas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Proteus vulgaris ATCC 13315, Acinetobacter baumanii ATCC 19606, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, S. haemolyticus ATCC 43252 and Candida albicans ATCC 10231 test microorganisms based on crystal violet binding assay. The highest antibiofilm activity was shown against biofilm formed by B. subtilis ATCC 6633 and S. haemolyticus ATCC 43252 at the lowest MIC values of 2.5 and 10 µg/mL, respectively. The current findings indicated that bacterial biofilm formation can be potentially managed using V. pinnatifidum plant extracts. © 2019 Göse, Hacıoğlu Doğru.