Resveratrol – A potential inhibitor of biofilm formation in Vibrio cholerae

Resveratrol, a phytochemical commonly found in the skin of grapes and berries, was tested for its biofilm inhibitory activity against Vibrio cholerae. Biofilm inhibition was assessed using crystal violet assay. MTT assay was performed to check the viability of the treated bacterial cells and the biofilm architecture was analysed using confocal laser scanning microscopy. The possible target of the compound was determined by docking analysis. Results showed that subinhibitory concentrations of the compound could significantly inhibit biofilm formation in V. cholerae in a concentration-dependent manner. AphB was found to be the putative target of resveratrol using docking analysis. The results generated in this study proved that resveratrol is a potent biofilm inhibitor of V. cholerae and can be used as a novel therapeutic agent against cholera. To our knowledge, this is the first report of resveratrol showing antibiofilm activity against V. cholerae.