title: Effects of Total Alkaloids of Sophora alopecuroides on Biofilm Formation in Staphylococcus epidermidis.
abstract: Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) is an opportunistic pathogen with low pathogenicity and a cause of the repeated outbreak of bovine mastitis in veterinary clinical settings. In this report, a biofilm model of S. epidermidis was generated and the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and sub-MIC (SMIC) on bacterial cultures were assessed for the following agents: total alkaloids of Sophora alopecuroides (TASA), ciprofloxacin (CIP), and erythromycin (ERY). The formation and characteristic parameters of biofilm were analyzed in terms of XTT assay, silver staining, and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). Results showed that a sub-MIC of TASA could inhibit 50% biofilm of bacterial activity, while 250-fold MIC of CIP and ERY MICs only inhibited 50% and 47% of biofilm formation, respectively. All three agents could inhibit the biofilm formation at an early stage, but TASA showed a better inhibitory effect on the late stage of biofilm thickening. A morphological analysis using CLSM further confirmed the destruction of biofilm by these agents. These results thus suggest that TASA has an inhibitory effect on biofilm formation of clinic S. epidermidis, which may be a potential agent warranted for further study on the treatment prevention of infection related to S. epidermidis in veterinary clinic.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for the Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources of Western China, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, China; College of Life Science, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, China.
authors.forename: Xue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for the Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources of Western China, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, China; College of Life Science, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, China.
authors.forename: Cuiping
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for the Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources of Western China, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, China; College of Life Science, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, China.
authors.forename: Yulong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for the Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources of Western China, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, China; College of Life Science, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, China.
authors.forename: Yujiong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for the Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources of Western China, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, China; College of Life Science, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, China; Ningxia Key Laboratory of Clinical and Pathogenic Microbiology, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750004, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoming
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3902-9105
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for the Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources of Western China, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, China; College of Life Science, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, China.
authors.forename: Xuezhang
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7870-572X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D002939:Ciprofloxacin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage; D029909:Sophora / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification; D013045:Species Specificity; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D002939:Ciprofloxacin; D004917:Erythromycin