ArticleFrontiers in microbiology2017
Low Concentrations of Vitamin C Reduce the Synthesis of Extracellular Polymers and Destabilize Bacterial Biofilms.
Article in Frontiers in microbiology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 104 citations in OpenAlex.
- Vitamin C Conjugates in Biomedicine: A Comprehensive Exploration with Drugs, Polymers, Proteins, and Peptides.Mini reviews in medicinal chemistry · 2026Review
- GC-MS characterization of bioactive compounds from Lippia multiflora Moldenke (Verbenaceae) flower essential oils and their antibiofilm potential against resistant bacteria.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Potential application of vitamins to combat biofilm-mediated drug resistance by pathogenic bacteria.Future microbiology · 2025Review
- Redox Imbalance in Cystic Fibrosis: The Multifaceted Role of Oxidative Stress.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Disrupting antimicrobial resistance: unveiling the potential of vitamin C in combating biofilm formation in drug-resistant bacteria.BMC microbiology · 2025Article
- Bioactive Compounds as Alternative Approaches for Preventing Urinary Tract Infections in the Era of Antibiotic Resistance.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Combined treatment with vitamin C, hydrocortisone and thiamine does not attenuate morbidity and mortality of septic sheep.Laboratory animal research · 2024Article
- The Effect of Citric and Ascorbic Acids as Anti-Biofilm and Anti-Capsular Agents on Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre · 2024Article
- Targeting microbial quorum sensing: the next frontier to hinder bacterial driven gastrointestinal infections.Gut microbes · 2023Review
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- Impact of Mt. Olympus Honeys on Virulence Factors Implicated in Pathogenesis Exerted byAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- SpoT-mediated NapA upregulation promotes oxidative stress-inducedAntimicrobial agents and chemotherapy · 2023Article
- The Effect of Ascorbic Acid and Nicotinamide on Panton-Valentine Leukocidin Cytotoxicity: An Ex Vivo Study.Toxins · 2023Article
- Synergistic antimicrobial effect of ascorbic acid and nicotinamide with rifampicin and vancomycin against SCCAccess microbiology · 2023Article
- Review
- Attenuating the virulence of the resistant superbug Staphylococcus aureus bacteria isolated from neonatal sepsis by ascorbic acid, dexamethasone, and sodium bicarbonate.BMC microbiology · 2022Article
- Combined Application of Aminoglycosides and Ascorbic Acid in the Elimination ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2022Article
- Article
- Silicon Controls Bacterial Wilt Disease in Tomato Plants and Inhibits the Virulence-Related Gene Expression ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) produced by bacteria form a matrix supporting the complex three-dimensional architecture of biofilms. This EPS matrix is primarily composed of polysaccharides, proteins and extracellular DNA. In addition to supporting the community structure, the EPS matrix protects bacterial biofilms from the environment. Specifically, it shields the bacterial cells inside the biofilm, by preventing antimicrobial agents from getting in contact with them, thereby reducing their killing effect. New strategies for disrupting the formation of the EPS matrix can therefore lead to a more efficient use of existing antimicrobials. Here we examined the mechanism of the known effect of vitamin C (sodium ascorbate) on enhancing the activity of various antibacterial agents. Our quantitative proteomics analysis shows that non-lethal concentrations of vitamin C inhibit bacterial quorum sensing and other regulatory mechanisms underpinning biofilm development. As a result, the EPS biosynthesis in reduced, and especially the polysaccharide component of the matrix is depleted. Once the EPS content is reduced beyond a critical point, bacterial cells get fully exposed to the medium. At this stage, the cells are more susceptible to killing, either by vitamin C-induced oxidative stress as reported here, or by other antimicrobials or treatments.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.