Antibiofilm Strategies Against Pathogenic Bacteria

Biofilms are structured communities of bacteria enveloped in self-produced extracellular polymeric substances that confer heightened tolerance to antimicrobials and host defences. Such resilience underlies persistent device-associated infections, chronic wounds, food spoilage and industrial fouling. Antibiofilm strategies seek to prevent initial bacterial adhesion, disrupt mature biofilms and potentiate conventional antibiotics. Surface engineering employs hydrophilic or antimicrobial coatings to inhibit attachment, while enzyme-based methods degrade matrix polymers to facilitate agent penetration. Small-molecule inhibitors of quorum sensing attenuate virulence and biofilm maturation. Metal complexes and chelators destabilise biofilm architecture and target multidrug-resistant strains without promoting resistance. Natural polyphenols and phenolic acids act as adjuvants by disturbing membrane integrity and interfering with efflux-mediated resistance. Modulation of intracellular signalling, in particular cyclic di-GMP pathways, transitions bacteria from sessile to planktonic states. Synergistic combinations of these approaches reduce antibiotic dosage requirements, limit resistance emergence and hold promise for clinical, food-safety and environmental applications worldwide.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Two seminal investigations have showcased novel antibiofilm materials. A hexadentated copper(II) macrocyclic complex exhibited rapid bactericidal activity against planktonic and biofilm-embedded Staphylococcus aureus, effectively eradicating mature biofilms and intracellular populations without selecting resistant mutants. Another foundational study demonstrated that plant-derived essential oils and eugenol derivatives markedly inhibit Escherichia coli O157:H7 biofilm formation by down-regulating curli and type I fimbriae genes, while coated surfaces incorporating these phytochemicals resist bacterial adhesion and attenuate virulence in in vivo models.

Antibiofilm Strategies Against Pathogenic Bacteria publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in antibiofilm strategies against pathogenic bacteria across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Biofilm: A surface-attached microbial community embedded in a self-generated matrix of polysaccharides, proteins and nucleic acids.

Quorum sensing: A bacterial cell-to-cell communication mechanism that regulates gene expression in response to population density.

Efflux pump: A membrane protein complex that actively exports antimicrobial compounds from bacterial cells, contributing to drug resistance.

Cyclic di-GMP: A bacterial second messenger that controls the transition between planktonic and biofilm lifestyles by modulating motility and matrix production.

References

1. Antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity of hexadentated macrocyclic complex of copper (II) derived from thiosemicarbazide against Staphylococcus aureus. Scientific Reports (2018).
2. Essential Oils and Eugenols Inhibit Biofilm Formation and the Virulence of Escherichia coli O157:H7. Scientific Reports (2016).
3. Chlorogenic Acid: A Promising Strategy for Milk Preservation by Inhibiting Staphylococcus aureus Growth and Biofilm Formation. Foods (2024).
4. Proanthocyanidin Interferes with Intrinsic Antibiotic Resistance Mechanisms of Gram‐Negative Bacteria. Advanced Science (2019).
5. Coumarin Reduces Virulence and Biofilm Formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa by Affecting Quorum Sensing, Type III Secretion and C-di-GMP Levels. Frontiers in Microbiology (2018).