Hurdle technology based on the use of microencapsulated pepsin, trypsin and carvacrol to eradicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus faecalis biofilms

Abstract

The biofilm lifestyle plays a major role in the resistance and virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus faecalis. In this study, two microencapsulated proteases (pepsin ME-PEP and trypsin ME-TRYP) were evaluated for their biofilm dispersal activity and their synergistic effect with microencapsulated carvacrol (ME-CARV). Spray-drying was used to protect enzymes and essential oil and enhance their activities. Cell count analysis proved the synergistic activity of enzymes and carvacrol treatment as biofilms were further reduced after combined treatment in comparison to ME-CARV or enzymes alone. Furthermore, results showed that sequential treatment in the order ME-TRYP - ME-PEP - ME-CARV resulted in more efficient biofilm removal with a maximum reduction of 5 log CFU mL⁻¹ for P. aeruginosa and 4 log CFU mL⁻¹ for E. faecalis. This study proposes that the combination of microencapsulated proteases with ME-CARV could be useful for the effective control of P. aeruginosa and E. faecalis biofilms.

Keywords:

• Biofilm
• microencapsulation
• proteases
• carvacrol
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• Enterococcus faecalis

Acknowledgements

In this study, the team is grateful to the Conseil Régional du Nord-Pas de Calais, and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for supporting the SEM facility in Lille (France).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data used to support the findings of this research are included in the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Lille, CNRS, INRAE, Centrale Lille, UMET - Unité Matériaux et Transformations under Grant [UMR 8207].