Biofilm-Resistant Infections: Innovative Inhibitors and Treatment Strategies

Biofilms are structured microbial communities ensconced in an extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix that make substantial contributions to chronic infections, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and treatment failure. Biofilms are most often implicated in diseases such as cystic fibrosis, diabetic foot ulcers, and implant infections, where Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans become particularly resistant to traditional antimicrobial agents. Recent developments in anti-biofilm approaches include the use of natural products, synthetic molecules (e.g., quorum-sensing inhibitors and antimicrobial peptides), enzymatic agents, and physical approaches. Other novel modalities, such as nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems, bacteriophage therapy, and CRISPR-CAS technology, also hold great promise for biofilm elimination. This review summarizes the state of knowledge on biofilm-inhibitory mechanisms, therapeutic strategies, and future research directions, with emphasis on multi-targeted strategies to counteract biofilm-related multidrug-resistant infections. Keywords: Biofilms; Antimicrobial Resistance, Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery.