Atmospheric cold plasmas for biofilm inactivation: does biofilm extracellular matrix limit the bactericidal process?

Marchal F1, Robert H2, Seyer 3, Merbahi N1, Randrianjatovo I2, Fontagné-Faucher C2, Di Martino P3, Yousfi M1, Neuhauser E2
Page no. 123-135

Low Temperature Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas (LTAPPs) is a new promising sterilization and decontamination technology with a high potential to inactivate microbial biofilms. Conventional methods for inactivation of planktonic bacteria are often ineffective with biofilms that constitute a protected mode of bacterial growth. Microbial biofilms can be seen as a complex functional organization of microbial cells, water, and secreted extracellular substances of polysaccharides, proteins, nucleic acids and other cellular products. There is a lack of studies focused on the interaction of plasma with the organic matrix of biofilms that acts as a protective barrier against any physical or chemical stress. That is why the bactericidal action of LTAPPs on lactic acid bacteria organized or not in biofilm was measured.  and the protective role of the exopolymeric matrix produced by this strain against cold plasma was highlighted. Therefore future strategies should focus on the interaction of matrix components toward reactive species generated by plasma.. Some relevant tools were thus proposed to follow the alteration of either the biochemical components or the physical properties of the matrix in order to provide new experimental      approaches for the global analysis of plasma effect on the architecture of bacterial biofilms.                                                                           

   KeyWords:   Low temperature atmospheric pressure plasma, microbial biofilm, exopolymeric matrix, sterilization decont