From the Titanic and other shipwrecks to biofilm prevention: The interesting role of polyphenol-protein complexes in biofilm inhibition

Bacteria attach themselves either reversibly or irreversibly onto practically any surface in aqueous and other environments in order to reproduce, while generating extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) as a supportive structure for biofilm formation. Surfaces with a potential to prevent cellular attachment and aggregation (biofilm) would be extremely useful in environmental, biotechnological, medical and industrial applications. The scientific community is currently focusing on the design of micro- and nano-scale textured surfaces with antibacterial and/or antifouling properties (e.g., filtration membranes). Several serum and tissue proteins promote bacterial adhesion (for example, albumin, fibronectin and fibrinogen), whereas polyphenols form complexes with proteins which change their structural, functional and nutritional properties. For example, tannic acid, a compound composed of polygalloyl glucoses or polygalloyl quinic acid esters and several galloyl moieties, inhibits the growth of many bacterial strains. The present review is based on different nautical archaeology research data, and asks a simple but as yet unanswered question: What is the chemistry that prevents leather biodegradation by environmental bacteria and/or formation of biofilms? Future research should answer these questions, which are highly important for biofilm prevention.