Biofilm formation: mechanistic insights and therapeutic targets

Abstract

Biofilms are complex multicellular communities formed by bacteria, and their extracellular polymeric substances are observed as surface-attached or non-surface-attached aggregates. Many types of bacterial species found in living hosts or environments can form biofilms. These include pathogenic bacteria such as Pseudomonas, which can act as persistent infectious hosts and are responsible for a wide range of chronic diseases as well as the emergence of antibiotic resistance, thereby making them difficult to eliminate. Pseudomonas aeruginosa has emerged as a model organism for studying biofilm formation. In addition, other Pseudomonas utilize biofilm formation in plant colonization and environmental persistence. Biofilms are effective in aiding bacterial colonization, enhancing bacterial resistance to antimicrobial substances and host immune responses, and facilitating cell‒cell signalling exchanges between community bacteria. The lack of antibiotics targeting biofilms in the drug discovery process indicates the need to design new biofilm inhibitors as antimicrobial drugs using various strategies and targeting different stages of biofilm formation. Growing strategies that have been developed to combat biofilm formation include targeting bacterial enzymes, as well as those involved in the quorum sensing and adhesion pathways. In this review, with Pseudomonas as the primary subject of study, we review and discuss the mechanisms of bacterial biofilm formation and current therapeutic approaches, emphasizing the clinical issues associated with biofilm infections and focusing on current and emerging antibiotic biofilm strategies.

New azole derivatives linked to indole/indoline moieties combined with FLC against drug-resistant Candida albicans

“…Biofilms are communities of microorganisms that adhere to living or non-living organisms (such as medical devices and host tissues) during infection. 24 In C. albicans infection, formation of a biofilm is a crucial pathogenic factor and drug-resistance mechanism. We examined the effect of S1 on the biofilm formation of drug-resistant SC5314-FR (Fig.…”

Assessment of the Nonlinear Electrophoretic Migration of Nanoparticles and Bacteriophages

“…Both phages are sometimes referred to as “giant” or “jumbo” phages as they have genomes that are unusually long (>200 kbp) and highly complex virions compared to most other types of phages [ 20 , 21 , 22 ]. ϕKZ and related phages infecting P. aeruginosa have a long history of being used for treating infections caused by P. aeruginosa such as respiratory, surgical site, and urinary tract infections [ 17 , 23 , 24 ]. Similarly, SPN3US was isolated for its potential to control Salmonella in the food industry, along with many other giant phages targeting a broad spectrum of pathogens in recent years [ 18 , 25 , 26 ].…”