Optimizing Chitosan Derived from White Shrimp (Metapenaeus affinis): A
Novel Approach to Inhibit Biofilm Formation and Quorum Sensing in
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a commonly found Gram-negative bacterium in
healthcare facilities and is renowned for its ability to form biofilms
and its virulence factors that are controlled by quorum sensing (QS)
systems. The increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant strains of
this bacterium poses a significant challenge in the field of medicine.
Consequently, the exploration of novel antimicrobial agents has become a
top priority. This research aims to optimize chitosan derived from white
shrimp (Metapenaeus affinis) using the Response Surface Methodology
computational approach. The objective is to investigate chitosan’s
potential as a solution for inhibiting QS activity and biofilm formation
in P. aeruginosa ATCC 10145. Under optimized conditions, chitin treated
(NaOH: 1.41 M) for 15.75 hours, HCl (7.49% vol) for 2.01 hours, at a
deacetylation temperature of 81.15 °C. Resulting chitosan exhibited a
degree of deacetylation exceeding 93.98%, as confirmed by
Fourier-transform infrared spectral analysis, indicating its high
purity. The extracted chitosan demonstrated a significant synergistic
antibiotic effect against P. aeruginosa when combined with ceftazidime,
enhancing its bactericidal activity by up to 15-fold. In addition,
sub-MIC concentrations of extracted chitosan (10 and 100 μg/mL)
successfully reduced the production of pyocyanin and rhamnolipid, as
well as the swimming motility, protease activity and biofilm formation
in comparison to the control group. Moreover, chitosan treatment
downregulated the RhlR and LasR genes in P. aeruginosa when compared to
the control group (P<0.05). The optimized chitosan extract
shows significant potential as a coating agent for surgical equipment,
effectively preventing nosocomial infections caused by P. aeruginosa
pathogens.