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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Biofilms
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1456700
This article is part of the Research Topic Fighting Microbial Biofilms: Novel Therapeutics and Antibiofilm Strategies View all 8 articles

Natural Compound-Induced Downregulation of Antimicrobial Resistance and Biofilm-Linked Genes in Wastewater Aeromonas species

Provisionally accepted
Khristina G. Judan Cruz Khristina G. Judan Cruz 1,2*Okamoto Takumi Okamoto Takumi 2Kenneth A. Bongulto Kenneth A. Bongulto 2Emmanuel E. Gandalera Emmanuel E. Gandalera 1,2Ngure Kagia Ngure Kagia 2Kozo Watanabe Kozo Watanabe 2*
  • 1 Central Luzon State University, Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
  • 2 Ehime University, Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Addressing the global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis requires a multifaceted innovative approach to mitigate impacts on public health, healthcare and economic systems. In the complex evolution of AMR, biofilms and the acquisition of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) play a pivotal role. Aeromonas is a major AMR player that often forms biofilm, harbors ARGs and is frequently detected in wastewater. Existing wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) do not have the capacity to totally eliminate antimicrobial-resistant bacteria favoring the evolution of ARGs in wastewater. Besides facilitating the emergence of AMR, biofilms contribute significantly to biofouling process within the activated sludge of WWTP bioreactors. This paper presents the inhibition of biofilm formation, the expression of biofilmlinked genes and ARGs by phytochemicals andrographolide, docosanol, lanosterol, quercetin, rutin and thymohydroquinone. Aeromonas species were isolated and purified from activated sludge samples. The ARGs were detected in the isolated Aeromonas species through PCR. Aeromonas biofilms were quantified following the application of biocompounds through the microtiter plate assay. qPCR analyses of related genes were done for confirmation. Findings showed that the natural compounds inhibited the formation of biofilms and reduced the expression of genes linked to biofilm production as well as ARGs in wastewater Aeromonas. This indicates the efficacy of these compounds in targeting and controlling both ARGs and biofilm formation, highlighting their potential as innovative solutions for combating antimicrobial resistance and biofouling.

    Keywords: ARGS, antimicrobial resistance, Biofilm, natural compounds, Aeromonas, Wastewater 1. Introduction

    Received: 29 Jun 2024; Accepted: 18 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Judan Cruz, Takumi, Bongulto, Gandalera, Kagia and Watanabe. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Khristina G. Judan Cruz, Central Luzon State University, Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
    Kozo Watanabe, Ehime University, Matsuyama, 790-8577, Ehime, Japan

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.