Curcumin: a natural antibiofilm agent

Biofilms resistance to killing prompts the need to discover new agents that inhibit and/or eradicate these microbial communities. Screening natural compounds for antibiofilm activity is becoming a promising approach. In this study we characterized the antibiofilm activity of curcumin. Curcumin is an extract of turmeric known to exhibit antimicrobial properties, however, its antibiofilm activity has yet to be thoroughly investigated. We find that curcumin reduces biofilm formation by Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and in addition, can effect removal and / or killing of mature biofilms. Preliminary data indicates that curcumin imposes membrane damage in S. aureus and morphological changes in E. coli cell wall which may possibly mediate the mechanism by which curcumin exerts its anti-biofilm activity. In addition, curcmin induced expression of oxidative stress related genes in E. coli, which may further imply on a possible mode of action. Our findings highlight the potential of curcumin to serve as a natural antibiofilm pharmacological agent.