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Strategy to combat biofilms: a focus on biofilm dispersal enzymes

Shaochi Wang, Yanteng Zhao, Alexandra P. Breslawec, Tingting Liang, Zhifen Deng, Laura L. Kuperman, Qiuning Yu

npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, 2023

239 citations

Abstract

Bacterial biofilms, which consist of three-dimensional extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), not only function as signaling networks, provide nutritional support, and facilitate surface adhesion, but also serve as a protective shield for the residing bacterial inhabitants against external stress, such as antibiotics, antimicrobials, and host immune responses. Biofilm-associated infections account for 65-80% of all human microbial infections that lead to serious mortality and morbidity. Tremendous effort has been spent to address the problem by developing biofilm-dispersing agents to discharge colonized microbial cells to a more vulnerable planktonic state. Here, we discuss the recent progress of enzymatic eradicating strategies against medical biofilms, with a focus on dispersal mechanisms. Particularly, we review three enzyme classes that have been extensively investigated, namely glycoside hydrolases, proteases, and deoxyribonucleases.

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