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Updated: Jun 24, 2025
Anti-virulent Disruption of Pathogenic Biofilms using Engineered Quorum-quenching Lactonases
Published on: January 1, 2016
Theaflavin-3,3'-digallate effectively attenuates biofilm formation by Enterococcus faecalis via the targeting of
Sa Wang1, Shuli Deng1, Ying Wang1
1The Affiliated Stomatology Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Stomatology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Abstract:
Enterococcus faecalis, an opportunistic pathogen responsible for nosocomial infections, exhibits increased pathogenicity via biofilm formation. Theaflavin-3,3'-digallate (TF3), a theaflavin extracted from black tea, exhibits potent antibacterial effects. In the present study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of TF3 on E. faecalis. Our results indicated that TF3 significantly inhibited E. faecalis ATCC 29212 biofilm formation. This observation was further confirmed via crystal violet staining, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and field emission-scanning electron microscopy. To disclose the underlying mechanisms, RNA-seq was applied. TF3 treatment significantly altered the transcriptomic profile of E. faecalis, as evidenced by identification of 248 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Through functional annotation of these DEGs, several quorum-sensing pathways were found to be suppressed in TF3-treated cultures. Further, gene expression verification via real-time PCR confirmed the downregulation of gelE, sprE, and secY by TF3. These findings highlighted the ability of TF3 to impede E. faecalis biofilm formation, suggesting a novel preventive strategy against E. faecalis infections.
