Inhibition and disintegration of Bacillus subtilis biofilm with small molecule inhibitors identified through virtual screening for targeting TasA(28-261), the major protein component of ECM

Microbial biofilms have been recognized for a vital role in antibiotic resistance and chronic microbial infections for 2-3 decades; still, there are no 'anti-biofilm drugs' available for human applications. There is an urgent need to develop novel 'anti-biofilms' therapeutics to manage biofilm-associated infectious diseases. Several reports have suggested that targeting molecules involved in quorum sensing or biofilm-specific transcription may inhibit biofilm formation. However, the possibility of targeting other vital components of microbial biofilms, especially the extracellular matrix (ECM) components, has remained largely unexplored. Here we report targeting TasA((28-261)), the major proteinaceous component of Bacillus subtilis ECM with two small molecule inhibitors (lovastatin and simvastatin) identified through virtual screening and drug repurposing, resulted in complete inhibition of biofilm. In molecular docking and dynamics simulation studies, lovastatin was observed to make stable interactions with TasA((28-261)), whereas the simvastatin - TasA((28-261)) interactions were relatively less stable. However, in subsequent in vitro studies, both lovastatin and simvastatin successfully inhibited B. subtilis biofilm formation at MIC values of < 10 mu g/ml. Besides, these potential inhibitors also caused the disintegration of pre-formed biofilms. Results presented here provide 'proof of concept' for the hypothesis that targeting the extracellular matrix's vital component(s) could be one of the most efficient approaches for inhibiting microbial biofilms and disintegrating the pre-formed biofilms. We propose that a similar approach targeting ECM-associated proteins with FDA-approved drugs could be implemented to develop novel anti-biofilm therapeutic strategies against biofilm-forming chronic microbial pathogens. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Automated summary

This study identified two small molecule inhibitors, lovastatin and simvastatin, through virtual screening and drug repurposing, that can completely inhibit biofilm formation and disintegrate pre-formed biofilms in Bacillus subtilis. Targeting the key components of the extracellular matrix appears to be an effective approach for inhibiting microbial biofilms.