Presenter: Md Affan Hossain
Faculty Sponsor: Vincent Rotello
School: UMass Amherst
Research Area: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Session: Poster Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM, Concourse, B16
ABSTRACT
Biofilms are protected by a dense extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix that shields bacteria from antibiotics, environmental stress, and host immunity. On medical devices such as catheters, biofilms become especially problematic, causing persistent infections that often require prolonged therapy or device replacement and accelerating antibiotic resistance. Essential oils have antimicrobial activity, but limited EPS penetration due to their poor solubility. This honors thesis evaluated gelatin-stabilized essential-oil nanoemulsions containing carvacrol (C-GNE), eugenol (E-GNE), or geraniol (G-GNE) against MRSA biofilms on catheters, surgical gauze, and gloves. In a 15-min inhibition assay, C-GNE yielded no detectable CFU/mL, while E-GNE and G-GNE produced ~5–6 log10 CFU/mL. Against 1-day-old biofilms treated for 3 h, C-GNE reduced bacterial counts by ~3–4 log10, whereas E-GNE and G-GNE achieved ~2–3 log10 reductions. Overall, C-GNE appears most promising as a natural, polymer-encapsulated antibiofilm approach for medical-device–associated infections. As the project continues, our central hypothesis is that these nanoemulsions inhibit and eradicate MRSA biofilms in a dose-dependent manner. Future work will focus on translating this system into a sanitizing spray or biodegradable disinfectants for the elimination of medical device-associated infections, where applications of conventional chemical disinfectants are limited or unsuitable.