review · Microbial Cell Factories
Bacterial biofilms cause substantial global challenges, ranging from persistent healthcare-associated infections to biofouling in industrial systems. Conventional antimicrobial treatments often fail against the protected bacterial communities within these matrices, where exopolysaccharides play a critical role in structural stability and resistance. Natural microbial enzymes offer an environmentally friendly alternative by actively degrading biofilm components. In particular, glycosidases, proteases, and deoxyribonucleases can disrupt matrix architecture effectively. Key candidate enzymes include cellobiose dehydrogenase, which degrades polysaccharides and is produced from fungi such as Aspergillus niger and Sclerotium rolfsii with optimised production methods. Other effective enzymes include levan hydrolase, alginate lyase, alpha-amylase, protease, and lysostaphin. Sourcing and optimising the production of these microbial enzymes presents viable pathways for tackling biofilm resilience across clinical, environmental, and industrial settings.
Biofilms protect harmful bacteria from standard treatments, causing stubborn infections in hospitals and expensive equipment damage in industries. Finding natural, sustainable tools to break down these microbial shields allows for more effective infection control and cleaner industrial operations without relying solely on traditional antimicrobial agents.
The reviewed enzymes offer applications for healthcare infection management and industrial biofouling control. Potential end users include medical facility operators, sanitation teams, and industrial plant managers. Because the work reviews enzyme origins and production optimisation strategies, practical implementation remains in early to intermediate development stages, requiring scalable manufacturing and formulation before real-world deployment.
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Bacterial biofilms pose significant challenges, from healthcare-associated infections to biofouling in industrial systems, resulting in significant health impacts and financial losses globally. Classic antimicrobial methods often fail to eradicate sessile microbial communities within biofilms, requiring innovative approaches. This review explores the structure, formation, and role of biofilms, highlighting the critical importance of exopolysaccharides in biofilm stability and resistance mechanisms. We emphasize the potential of microbial enzymatic approaches, particularly focusing on glycosidases, proteases, and deoxyribonucleases, which can disrupt biofilm matrices effectively. We also delve into the importance of enzymes such as cellobiose dehydrogenase, which disrupts biofilms by degrading polysaccharides. This enzyme is mainly sourced from Aspergillus niger and Sclerotium rolfsii, with optimized production strategies enhancing its efficacy. Additionally, we explore levan hydrolase, alginate lyase, α-amylase, protease, and lysostaphin as potent antibiofilm agents, discussing their microbial origins and production optimization strategies. These enzymes offer promising avenues for combating biofilm-related challenges in healthcare, environmental, and industrial settings. Ultimately, enzymatic strategies present environmentally friendly solutions with high potential for biofilm management and infection control.
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DOI: 10.1186/s12934-024-02610-y
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