Halicin remains active against Staphylococcus aureus in biofilms grown on orthopaedically relevant substrates

Biofilm infections are among the most challenging complications in orthopaedics, as bacteria within the biofilms are protected from the host immune system and many antibiotics. Halicin exhibits broad-spectrum activity against many planktonic bacteria, and previous studies have demonstrated that halicin is also effective against Staphylococcus aureus biofilms grown on polystyrene or polypropylene substrates. However, the effectiveness of many antibiotics can be substantially altered depending on which orthopaedically relevant substrates the biofilms grow. This study, therefore, evaluated the activity of halicin against less mature and more mature S. aureus biofilms grown on titanium alloy, cobalt-chrome, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), devitalized muscle, or devitalized bone.

S. aureus-Xen36 biofilms were grown on the various substrates for 24 hours or seven days. Biofilms were incubated with various concentrations of halicin or vancomycin and then allowed to recover without antibiotics. Minimal biofilm eradication concentrations (MBECs) were defined by CFU counting and resazurin reduction assays, and were compared with the planktonic minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs).

Halicin continued to exert significantly (p < 0.01) more antibacterial activity against biofilms grown on all tested orthopaedically relevant substrates than vancomycin, an antibiotic known to be affected by biofilm maturity. For example, halicin MBECs against both less mature and more mature biofilms were ten-fold to 40-fold higher than its MIC. In contrast, vancomycin MBECs against the less mature biofilms were 50-fold to 200-fold higher than its MIC, and 100-fold to 400-fold higher against the more mature biofilms.

Halicin is a promising antibiotic that should be tested in animal models of orthopaedic infection.