Abstract
Structured biofilm aggregates offer an increased tolerance to antimicrobials, providing either a physical barrier to antimicrobial penetration or leading to physiological adaptations amongst biofilm bacteria that may impact on antibiotic efficacy. Consequently, biofilms are causative of a range of chronic infections where the use of antimicrobials rarely eradicates the underlying infection. One feature of the development of microbial biofilm communities is that they often undergo lifecycle changes between aggregated and planktonic modes of growth. This transition between sessile and motile growth modes is referred to as biofilm dispersal. Understanding and controlling the dispersal process is leading to novel adjunctive strategies to disrupt clinically important biofilms. Exogenous nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to regulate, in a dose-dependent manner, biofilm lifecycle dynamics and can induce the disruption of biofilm aggregates. The use of NO therefore offers a potential therapeutic approach to address the challenge of biofilm-associated antimicrobial tolerance. This chapter explores the current and prospective NO therapies and the underpinning mechanisms of NO-mediated biofilm regulation. It also reviews NO-releasing chemistries, prodrugs, and materials for clinical use.
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Power, D., Webb, J. (2022). Nitric Oxide-Mediated Dispersal as an Adjunctive Strategy for the Control of Biofilm-Associated Infection. In: Richter, K., Kragh, K.N. (eds) Antibiofilm Strategies. Springer Series on Biofilms, vol 11. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10992-8_19
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