Emerging strategies for treating medical device and wound-associated biofilm infections

Abstract

Bacterial infections represent a significant global threat to human health, leading to considerable economic losses through increased healthcare costs and reduced productivity. One major challenge in treating these infections is the presence of biofilms - structured bacterial communities that form protective barriers, making traditional treatments less effective. Additionally, the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has exacerbated treatment difficulties. To address these challenges, researchers are developing and exploring innovative approaches to combat biofilm-related infections. This mini-review highlights recent advancements in the following key areas: surface anti-adhesion technologies, electricity, photo/acoustic-active materials, endogenous mimicking agents, and innovative drug delivery systems. These strategies aim to prevent biofilm formation, disrupt existing biofilms, and enhance the efficacy of antimicrobial treatments. Currently, these approaches show great potential for applications in medical fields such as medical device and wound - associated biofilm infections. By summarizing these developments, this mini-review provides a comprehensive resource for researchers seeking to advance the management and treatment of biofilm-associated infections.

FIGURE 1

Schematic illustrating various approaches for treating biofilms.

FIGURE 2

Versatile anti‐adhesion materials. (A) Amphiphilic coatings enable various surfaces to become superhydrophilic (McVerry et al., 2022). (B) Superhydrophilic surfaces combined with silver nanoparticles to combat biofouling (Liu et al., 2017). The snapshots illustrating the diffusion process of Ag⁺ on (C) superhydrophobic and (D) superhydrophilic surfaces (Gui et al., 2022). (E) Intelligent switching between superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic states (Gui et al., 2022).

FIGURE 3

Use of electric current to combat biofilms. (A) Hydrogel ionic circuits for treatment of wound biofilm (Zhao et al., 2023). (B) Self‐powered microneedle device for eliminating bacteria and promoting infected diabetic wound healing (Li et al., 2024).

FIGURE 4

Use of photo/acoustic‐active materials to combat biofilms. (A) A PDT‐based antibacterial nanomaterial (Yang et al., 2022). (B) An SDT‐based antibacterial nanomaterial (Sun et al., 2020). (C) An STT‐based antibacterial nanomaterial (Guan et al., 2024).

FIGURE 5

Use of endogenous mimicking agents to combat biofilms. (A) A haloperoxidase‐like material used in combating biofilm infections (Herget et al., 2017). (B) DNase‐mimetic used in combating biofilm infections (Chen et al., 2016). (C) Different hydrophilic and hydrophobic distributions on the backbones of LL‐37 and W379 (Su et al., 2020).

FIGURE 6

Use of microneedle arrays to combat biofilms. (A) Schematic representation of the relative depth of microneedle penetration into the skin (Jamaledin et al., 2020). (B) Microneedles carry multiple drugs to combat biofilms through multiple mechanisms (González García et al., 2019). (C) Triggered release of antimicrobial peptide from microneedle patches (Su et al., 2023). (D) A delivery system consisting of nanofiber mats and microneedles (Su et al., 2020). (E) Co‐delivery of the engineered antimicrobial peptide W379 and the monoclonal antibody Anti‐PBP2a by microneedle (Su et al., 2024).