Abstract
The use of enzymes represents an approach to combat bacterial infections by degrading extracellular biomolecules to disperse
biofilms. Commercial enzyme preparations, including cellulase, amylase, pectinase, zymolyase, and pepsin, exhibit concentration-dependent dispersion of
biofilms. Here, we report that low concentrations of these enzymes generally lack synergy when combined or added together sequentially to biofilms. Only the addition of a protease (pepsin) followed by a commercial mixture of degradative enzymes from
(zymolyase 20T), demonstrated synergy and was effective at dispersing
biofilms. A more purified mixture of
enzymes (zymolyase 100T) showed improved dispersal of
biofilms compared to zymolyase 20T but lacked synergy with pepsin. This study emphasizes the complexity of enzymatic biofilm dispersal and the need for tailored approaches based on the properties of degradative enzymes and biofilm composition.