Hydrogels are cross-linked networks of hydrophilic polymer
chains
with a three-dimensional structure. Owing to their unique features,
the application of hydrogels for bacterial/antibacterial studies and
bacterial infection management has grown in importance in recent years.
This trend is likely to continue due to the rise in bacterial infections
and antimicrobial resistance. By exploiting their physicochemical
characteristics and inherent nature, hydrogels have been developed
to achieve bacterial capture and detection, bacterial growth or elimination,
antibiotic delivery, or bacterial sensing. Traditionally, the development
of hydrogels for bacterial/antibacterial studies has focused on achieving
a single function such as antibiotic delivery, antibacterial activity,
bacterial growth, or bacterial detection. However, recent studies
demonstrate the fabrication of multifunctional hydrogels, where a
single hydrogel is capable of performing more than one bacterial/antibacterial
function, or composite hydrogels consisting of a number of single
functionalized hydrogels, which exhibit bacterial/antibacterial function
synergistically. In this review, we first highlight the hydrogel features
critical for bacterial studies and infection management. Then, we
specifically address unique hydrogel properties, their surface/network
functionalization, and their mode of action for bacterial capture,
adhesion/growth, antibacterial activity, and bacterial sensing, respectively.
Finally, we provide insights into different strategies for developing
multifunctional hydrogels and how such systems can help tackle, manage,
and understand bacterial infections and antimicrobial resistance.
We also note that the strategies highlighted in this review can be
adapted to other cell types and are therefore likely to find applications
beyond the field of microbiology.