The Effect of Hepcidin on the Inhibition of Staph. Epidermidis Biofilm Formation

Overview

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are infections that patients acquire while receiving medical treatment. The difficulty in treatment of HAIs lies in the formation of biofilm. Biofilms are thin, slimy films of bacteria that adhere to a surface and include extracellular material. This material contains polysaccharides, proteins, and DNA that form a glue-like substance which provides bacteria protection against environmental stressors, like antibiotics. Currently, there is a dire need for an alternative to antibiotic treatment that not only will prevent resistance among bacteria but also biofilm formation. A promising alternative is antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). The hepcidin of the Larimichthys crocea (also known as the Large Yellow Croaker) has been shown to possess a wide range of antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis, a major causative organism of infections related to implanted medical devices and general HAIs. Through the measurement of the inhibition of biofilm formation, this research focuses on the effect of the Larimichthys crocea hepcidin as well as the effect of human hepcidin on biofilm formation. The research indicates that Large Yellow Croaker hepcidin is significantly significant in reducing biofilm formation at P-values of P>0.01 and P>0.001 at the concentration levels of 7.2µM-14.4µM. Human hepcidin also has a significantly significant effect at decreasing biofilm formation at P-values of P>0.001 at 10.8µM-14.4µM concentrations. This research aids in the formulation of new effective alternatives to antibiotics in the prevention/treatment of HAIs. Moreover, this research seeks to evaluate the difference in the effectiveness of hepcidin on established biofilms compared to preventing biofilm formation. This aims to distinguish whether hepcidin should be used as a preventative measure or a treatment. This research also aims to evaluate the effectiveness of each hepcidin on diminishing established biofilms, as well as biofilm formation on organic and inorganic substrates. This research suggests croaker hepcidin, as well as human hepcidin, can each serve as alternative AMPs in the instance of HAIs. In the future, this research will further demonstrate the mechanisms of AMPs and explore a new strategy against biofilm formation.

Competition history

• AJAS 2020 Category not listed

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