Abstract
Polymeric materials releasing nitric oxide have attracted significant attention for therapeutic use in recent years. As one of the gaseous signaling agents in eukaryotic cells, endogenously generated nitric oxide (NO) is also capable of regulating the behavior of bacteria as well as biofilm formation in many metabolic pathways. To overcome the drawbacks caused by the radical nature of NO, synthetic or natural polymers bearing NO releasing moiety have been prepared as nano-sized materials, coatings, and hydrogels. To successfully design these materials, the amount of NO released within a certain duration, the targeted pathogens and the trigger mechanisms upon external stimulation with light, temperature, and chemicals should be taken into consideration. Meanwhile, NO donors like S-nitrosothiols (RSNOs) and N-diazeniumdiolates (NONOates) have been widely utilized for developing antimicrobial polymeric agents through polymer-NO donor conjugation or physical encapsulation. In addition, antimicrobial materials with visible light responsive NO donor are also reported as strong and physiological friendly tools for rapid bacterial clearance. This review highlights approaches to delivery NO from different types of polymeric materials for combating diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria, which hopefully can inspire researchers facing common challenges in the coming ‘post-antibiotic’ era.
Highlights
In the 1940s, penicillin—the first antibiotic discovered in the world—was clinically applied, saving the lives of many soldiers suffering from bacterial infections during World War II
RSNOs which releases nitric oxide (NO) under UV light, this class of NO donors can release NO under visible light, which are more suitable for antibiofilm application, since visible light can penetrate the biofilm, but UV light cannot pass through the biofilm due to the UV absorber in the biofilm and strong absorptions of cellular components, especially DNA and hemes [88,89]
NONOates physiologically friendly and biofilm-permeable visible light, representing a smarter and more precise have the advantages of a large amount of NO release and a variety of polymeric platforms available for conjugation in different applications
Summary
In the 1940s, penicillin—the first antibiotic discovered in the world—was clinically applied, saving the lives of many soldiers suffering from bacterial infections during World War II. 2005), which undoubtedly constitutes a “vicious circle” disaster [7] Facing these challenges, researchers are actively exploring new classes of antibacterial agents and effective therapies to deal with the threaten caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria. In recent years, using gaseous signaling agents to combat multi-drug resistant bacteria has gained a lot of attention, especially in the research of NO releasing antimicrobial polymeric materials. Many polymeric NO releasing materials have been developed for antibacterial application, which demonstrate more significant antibacterial effects than conventional antimicrobial agents while avoiding resistance [39], especially on bacteria in the form of biofilms. We briefly overview the antibacterial mechanism and detecting methods of NO, and reviewed the recent research of polymeric NO releasing materials for antibacterial applications, highlighting their controlled release property, anti-biofilm ability, and potential for future use in indwelling medical devices
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