RECENT INVESTIGATIONS ON PHYTOCHEMICALS AND QUORUM SENSING/BIOFILMS

Biofilms are supposed to be the first form of communitarian life recorded on the planet, being estimated that most microorganisms on Earth are organized in sessile state and they even occur in extreme environments. This ubiquity of biofilms is potentially beneficial, but can also cause significant problems of public health, medicine and industry concern. In the health context, some diseases and adverse medical conditions are now recognized to be the result of a biofilm infection. In fact, the degree of severity and the persistence of infections is worsened when microorganisms form biofilm. Therefore, efforts are being applied to develop new drugs not so vulnerable as the current therapeutics to bacterial resistance mechanisms, and also able to target bacteria in biofilms. Natural products, especially those obtained from plants, have proven to be outstanding compounds with unique properties, making them perfect candidates for this much-needed therapeutics. This study presents current knowledge on the potentialities of plant products as biofilm control agents. Data will be provided on their mode of action focusing their activity to interfere with bacterial quorum sensing signaling pathways and underlying phenotypes.