Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Activities of Ternate Blue Pea (Clitoria ternatea) Flower Extract against Staphylococcus aureus

The Ternate Blue Pea, renowned for its antibacterial properties and native to the northern Maluku islands, has been a subject of scientific investigation. Despite previous studies on this plant, its potential antibiofilm activity against Staphylococcus aureus (SA) has remained unexplored. This research aimed to assess the efficacy of Ternate Blue Pea flower extract (TBPE) in inhibiting and eradicating SA biofilm activity. Antibiofilm activity was evaluated using the microtiter broth method, with the minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC50) and minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC50) values serving as determinants. The antibiofilm mechanism was elucidated through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Statistical analysis was conducted using ANOVA (p<0.05). Results revealed that TBPE inhibited SA growth by 85.20 ± 0.01, slightly lower than the control activity of Vancomycin at 88.00 ± 0.01. In the antibiofilm test, TBPE exhibited significant efficacy in inhibiting biofilm during the mid-phase (81.40 ± 0.01) and preventing biofilm formation in the maturation phase (78.14 ± 0.01) of biofilm, whereas Vancomycin demonstrated slightly higher inhibitory activity in both the mid-phase (85.40 ± 0.01) and maturation phase (82.00 ± 0.01) of biofilm. TBPE disrupted the SA biofilm formation by 74.44 ± 0.01, while Vancomycin was marginally more effective with the disruption value of 77.00 ± 0.01. SEM analysis confirmed that TBPE could inhibit and breakdown SA biofilm by damaged the extracellular polymer (EPS) matrix in biofilms. In conclusion, TBPE exhibits promising antibiofilm activity against SA. © 2024 Hamzah et al.