Polyurea-based multimodal interaction nanogels for synergistic bacterial biofilm eradication and prevention of re-colonization.

Abstract

Bacterial biofilm eradication and prevention of re-colonization are critical for effective treatment of biofilm-associated infections. Although significant progress has been made in nanovehicle-assisted antimicrobial platforms for biofilm eradication, strategies to address re-colonization remain underdeveloped. In this study, we constructed a versatile antimicrobial delivery platform based on multimodal interaction polyurea nanogels (MIPN). MIPN demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and could effectively load various antimicrobials with high capacity due to the multiple intermolecular interactions between the antimicrobials and nanocarriers, including hydrogen bonding, electrostatic, and hydrophobic interactions. By incorporating self-synthesized quorum sensing inhibitors (QSI) within MIPN, bacteria re-colonization was successfully prevented by blocking the quorum sensing pathway and disrupting surface-associated bacterial motilities. Furthermore, MIPN coloaded with QSI- and antibiotics showed a synergistic effect on biofilm eradication and re-colonization prevention, significantly enhancing the healing of biofilm-associated infections in chronic wounds.