The Lebanese Trifolium purpureum: An Effective Source to Fight Escherichia coli and Associated Biofilms.

Authors

Faten Merhi, Rana Barakat, Neressa Badr, Nour Akil, Zahraa Allow, Zeinab Ezzeddine, Ali Chokr

Published in

Frontiers in bioscience (Elite edition). Volume 18. Issue 3. Pages 49679. Sep 04, 2026.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of Trifolium purpureum against Escherichia coli.
T. purpureum Loisel. was collected from the mountains of western Lebanon. The plant parts were then extracted by maceration in 70% ethanol and water. The plant fractions were screened for secondary metabolite classes. The antibacterial activity of the extracts was determined using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). Antibiofilm activity was assessed using a colorimetric method, and the effects of T. purpureum extracts on the expression of genes involved in biofilm formation in E. coli were assessed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).
Coumarins, tannins, volatile oils, and phenols were absent in T. purpureum; resins were detected only in the flowers, alkaloids were detected in all plant parts except the stems, and saponins, terpenoids, and flavonoids were found in all plant parts. Regarding antibacterial activity, although all extracts had measurable MIC values, only the whole-plant water extract exhibited a bactericidal effect. Furthermore, the water and ethanol extracts exhibited variable biofilm-prevention activity, with minimum biofilm prevention concentration (MBPC) values ranging from 30 to 68.9 mg/mL. Biofilm eradication activity also varied, with minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) values ranging from 0.13 to 49.65 mg/mL corresponding to 47.3-66.8% eradication. Finally, the whole-plant water extract suppressed the expression of fimA, fimH, and flu in both planktonic cells and cells within established E. coli biofilms.
Our results demonstrate that T. purpureum is rich in secondary metabolites and has notable antibacterial and antibiofilm potential against E. coli, especially at the molecular level. These findings suggest that T. purpureum may be a promising candidate for use as an alternative antibacterial and antibiofilm agent.

PMID:
42812030
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 30 Sep 2026.

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