Bactericidal efficacy and mechanism of alkaline electrolyzed water co-action with acidic electrolyzed water on Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm

Here, the bactericidal efficacy and mechanism of action of the combination of alkaline electrolyzed water (AlEW) and acidic electrolyzed water (AcEW) on Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm were investigated, in comparison with single AcEW or AlEW treatment. The mature P. aeruginosa biofilm was formed at 120 h of cultivation. The number of bacteria in the P. aeruginosa biofilm decreased by 7.87 and 2.51 Lg CFU/mL after single AcEW and single AlEW treatment for 8 min, while the sterilization rate reached 92.2% and 33.1%, respectively. The group of AcEW (7 min) co-action with AlEW (1 min) had a P. aeruginosa sterilization rate of 85%. The AlEW (3 min) co-action with AcEW (5 min) treatment showed the best bactericidal efficacy. With this treatment, the sterilization rate achieved 94.4%, and the extracellular protein, polysaccharide, and DNA were degraded with the ratios of 70.8%, 77.7%, and 70.5%, respectively. Thus, AlEW exhibited a major washing effect, which can destroy the biofilm structure of extracellular polymers to a certain extent, while AcEW displayed a significant bactericidal effect. These results suggest that the AlEW co-action with AcEW treatment may be a promising candidate suitable for bacterial biofilm sterilization.