Inhibitory effects of 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-β-D-glucopyranose on biofilm formation by Staphylococcus aureus

1,2,3,4,6-Penta-O-galloyl-β-D-glucopyranose (PGG) is an active ingredient in plants that are commonly used in Chinese medicine to treat inflammation. We demonstrate here that PGG, at 6.25 μM, does not inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, and yet it prevents biofilm formation on polystyrene and polycarbonate surfaces. At the same concentration, PGG is not toxic to human epithelial and fibroblast cells. PGG has an IB₅₀ value, i.e., the PGG concentration that inhibits 50% biofilm formation, of 3.6 μM. The value is substantially lower than that of N-acetylcysteine, iodoacetamide, and N-phenyl maleimide, which are known to inhibit biofilm formation by S. aureus. Biochemical and scanning electron microscopy results also reveal that PGG inhibits initial attachment of the bacteria to solid surface and the synthesis of polysaccharide intercellular adhesin, explaining how PGG inhibits biofilm formation. The results of this study demonstrate that coating PGG on polystyrene and silicon rubber surfaces with polyaniline prevents biofilm formation, indicating that PGG is highly promising for clinical use in preventing biofilm formation by S. aureus.