Inhibitory Effect of Zosteric Acid and Alginic Acid

Bacteria existing in biofilms present problems for effective antibiotic therapy due to the protective properties of exopolysaccharide matrices. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) regularly colonizes lung epithelial cells in patients with Cystic Fibrosis [3]. Zosteric acid (ZA), a naturally occurring phenolic acid found in eelgrass [1], and related compounds such as symmetrical bisphenols composed of naphthoic and benzoic acids are known to inhibit bacterial adherence and biofilm formation [4]. P. aeruginosa naturally lives in biofilms in the body, so to simulate this environment in cell culture we introduced alginic acid (AA) to the system. It has been found in many experiments that alginic acid is the key component that produces the biofilm in which P. aeruginosa lives. The aim of this study is to evaluate the anti-adhesion properties of zosteric acid in the presence of alginic acid on P. aeruginosa adherence to human lung epithelial cells A549. Untreated (control), or pre-treated with either 1 % weight/volume (wt/vol) alginic acid, 1% wt/vol zosteric acid, or both 1 % wt/vol alginic acid and 1 % wt/vol zosteric acid, P. aeruginosa (DiIC18 labeled; red; 1.0x106/mL) was added to lung cells (Calcein-AM labeled; green) grow