Comparative Antibiofilm Activity of Curcumin and Allicin: A Time-Dependent Analysis against Bacterial Biofilm Formation

Abstract

Bacterial biofilms represent a significant challenge in clinical microbiology, forming protective matrices that enhance antimicrobial resistance and bacterial persistence. Lactobacillus species, while beneficial in many contexts, can form problematic biofilms in certain clinical conditions, necessitating effective antibiofilm strategies. Natural compounds have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional antimicrobials due to their multitargeted mechanisms and reduced resistance development. This study aims to compare the antibiofilm efficacy of allicin and curcumin against Lactobacillus biofilm formation and evaluate their time-dependent inhibitory effects. Lactobacillus cultures were treated with allicin (15 ?M) and curcumin (10 ?M) over 24 and 48-hour periods. Biofilm formation was quantified using the crystal violet staining method, with absorbance measured at 578 nm following solubilization. Results demonstrated significant antibiofilm activity for both compounds, with allicin exhibiting superior efficacy. Curcumin achieved moderate biofilm inhibition of 11% at 24 hours and 13% at 48 hours. In contrast, allicin demonstrated pronounced time-dependent antibiofilm effects, achieving 42% inhibition at 24 hours and 61% inhibition at 48 hours. The progressive enhancement of allicin\'s activity suggests concentration-dependent and time-dependent mechanisms involving biofilm matrix disruption and bacterial membrane damage. Allicin demonstrated superior antibiofilm activity compared to curcumin, with significant time-dependent enhancement of inhibitory effects. These findings support allicin\'s potential as a natural antibiofilm agent for managing Lactobacillus-associated biofilm infections, warranting further investigation into optimal dosing regimens and clinical applications.

Introduction

Biofilms are structured communities of microorganisms embedded in a self-produced extracellular matrix composed of polysaccharides, proteins, and DNA, which protect the microbes. Biofilm formation is a multi-step process starting with microbial attachment to surfaces (e.g., river rocks, medical devices, dental plaques), followed by growth, maturation into a 3D structure, and eventual dispersal.

Biofilms present major challenges in healthcare and industry due to their strong resistance to antibiotics, contributing to persistent infections and facilitating gene transfer for antibiotic resistance. They are implicated in 65% of microbial infections and 80% of chronic infections, particularly on medical devices like catheters and implants, leading to difficult-to-treat hospital-acquired infections. This resistance also causes significant economic burdens.

Lactobacillus species, while generally beneficial probiotics, can form biofilms that cause spoilage in industrial food settings, contaminating equipment and affecting product quality, making control of their biofilms important in these contexts.

Natural antibiofilm agents are emerging as promising alternatives to synthetic antibiotics due to fewer side effects and effectiveness against resistant strains. These agents include phytochemicals (essential oils, polyphenols), microbial-derived compounds (bacteriocins, enzymes), and natural products (honey, probiotics). They inhibit biofilms by disrupting microbial communication, adhesion, and gene expression, and degrade the protective matrix.

Two notable natural agents are allicin (from garlic) and curcumin (from turmeric). Allicin disrupts quorum sensing and effectively eradicates biofilms of pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans, while curcumin interferes with biofilm gene regulation, causes membrane damage, and reduces bacterial aggregation, demonstrating strong antibiofilm activity.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates the significant antibiofilm potential of natural compounds curcumin and allicin, with allicin exhibiting superior efficacy achieving 61% biofilm inhibition at 48 hours compared to curcumin\'s 13% reduction. The time-dependent enhancement of allicin\'s activity suggests progressive biofilm disruption mechanisms, consistent with the findings of Borlinghaus et al. (2014), while curcumin\'s consistent moderate inhibition indicates interference with initial biofilm formation processes as previously reported by Packiavathy et al. (2012). These findings support the therapeutic potential of allicin as a promising antibiofilm agent for combating biofilm-associated bacterial infections, offering a natural alternative to conventional antimicrobial strategies.

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Copyright © 2025 Simreet Kaur, Pranati Das, Rupak Roy. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.