Evaluation of the effects of nano-curcumin on the expression of genes involved in biofilm formation in Staphylococcus epidermidis

Abstract Cross infections are one of the most critical problems for all hospitals around the world. The prevalence of Staphylococci, as a nosocomial infection, has spread across the globe. Staphylococcus epidermidis plays a significant role in developing resistance and infectious diseases by the production of biofilms. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of nano-Curcumin on the expression of genes involved in biofilm formation in S. epidermidis. A total of 100 samples of Staphylococcus were collected from Firoozgar hospital in 2018, in Tehran, Iran. The isolates were investigated by catalase, coagulase, DNase, PYR Test, Urease, Sugar (Maltose, sucrose, trehalose, and mannitol), Fermentation, Ornithine decarboxylase test (ODC), growth in the Thioglycolate medium, and PCR. The MTP test was used to measure biofilms; subsequently, the expression of icaD, fnb, rsbU, and tpi genes was confirmed by Real-Time PCR. The results were analyzed by rotor gene and rest software. Among the evaluated isolates, 14.7% of the isolates were identified as without biofilm formation, 21.44% as the weak biofilm formation, 42.85% as the moderate biofilm formation, and 28.57% as the strong biofilm formation. All 20 nano-curcumin treated isolates showed a Ct increase compared to non-treated isolates. The icaD and rsbU fold change reported -8 and -6.5. Due to the inhibitory effect of nano-curcumin, it could be used as a complementary therapy for S. epidermidis.