Antibiofilm Activity of Amylases Isolated from the Bacteria Associated With the Soft Coral <i>Sarcophyton trocheliophorum</i>

Amylases are one of the important enzymes with tremendous biotechnological applications. In this study, the amylase enzyme producing bacterial strains associated with the soft coral Sarcophyton trocheliophorum was isolated and identified. The amylases were produced in a specific growth medium and the stability was tested under different pH and temperature conditions. The crude amylases were tested for the antibiofilm activity against two biofilm-forming bacterial strains. The amylase enzyme extracted from two bacterial strains (KAU-AS1 and KAU-AS3) showed good activity in the antibiofilm activity assays. The amylases reduced the growth and attachment of the biofilm bacteria. Also, the amylase enzymes degraded the extracellular polymeric substance synthesized by the biofilm bacteria. The results also revealed that amylase enzymes isolated from both strains were stable at different pH and temperature ranges. This study indicated that amylases isolated from bacteria associated with the soft corals could be used as a probable antibiofilm agent.