Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 25, 2025
03:29
Author Spotlight: Advancing Therapeutics to Treat Vibriosis in Humans and Aquatic Organisms
Published on: May 31, 2024
689
Functionalized Chitosan Nanomaterials: A Jammer for Quorum Sensing
Moupriya Nag1, Dibyajit Lahiri1, Dipro Mukherjee1
1Department of Biotechnology, University of Engineering & Management, Kolkata 700160, India.
Polymers
|August 10, 2021
Summary
Chitosan nanoparticles can combat antimicrobial resistance by disrupting microbial communication pathways. This approach targets biofilms, offering a novel strategy for antimicrobial chemotherapy and chronic infection management.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Microbiology
- Drug Delivery
Background:
- Antimicrobial resistance is a major healthcare challenge, exacerbated by antibiotic overuse.
- Biofilms enhance microbial virulence and immune evasion, complicating treatment.
- Quorum sensing (QS) is a microbial communication mechanism crucial for biofilm formation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the mechanism of quorum sensing downregulation using chitosan nanomaterials.
- To explore the anti-biofilm potential of chitosan and its nano-derivatives.
- To highlight future applications in combating chronic infections and medical devices.
Main Methods:
- Chitosan's electrostatic interaction with microbial cell membranes.
- Preparation and characterization of chitosan nanoparticles (NPs).
- Assessment of mucoadhesive properties and drug release kinetics of chitosan NPs.
Main Results:
- Chitosan NPs exhibit positive surface charge and mucoadhesive properties for targeted delivery.
- Chitosan NPs can disrupt microbial communication by attenuating quorum sensing.
- Chitosan and its nano-derivatives show anti-biofilm potential against various microorganisms.
Conclusions:
- Functionalized chitosan nanomaterials offer a promising strategy for antimicrobial chemotherapy by targeting QS.
- Chitosan-based nanomaterials are effective tools for combating chronic infections and developing functionalized medical devices.
- Low toxicity and targeted delivery capabilities make chitosan NPs suitable for biofilm eradication.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
166
Quorum sensing is a mechanism of bacterial communication that enables coordinated gene expression in response to changes in population density. This facilitates collective behaviors that enhance survival, resource acquisition, and ecological adaptation. This process relies on small signaling molecules called autoinducers that accumulate as bacterial populations grow. When a critical threshold concentration of autoinducers is reached, bacterial cells collectively modify gene expression,...
166
01:30Bacterial Signaling
37.4K
Bacterial signaling can occur within bacteria (intracellular) or between bacteria (intercellular). At times, a group of bacteria behaves like a community. To achieve this, they engage in quorum sensing, the perception of higher cell density that causes changes in gene expression. Quorum sensing involves both extracellular and intracellular signaling. The signaling cascade starts with a molecule called an autoinducer (AI). Individual bacteria produce AIs that move out of the bacterial cell...
37.4K
01:29Indirect-Acting Cholinergic Agonists: Chemistry and Structure-Activity Relationship
724
Indirect-acting cholinergic agonists are agents that interact with the acetylcholinesterase enzyme in the synaptic cleft, preventing the breakdown of acetylcholine into choline and acetate. Consequently, the concentration of acetylcholine in the synaptic cleft increases. These agonists can be classified into reversible and irreversible inhibitors based on their duration of action.
Reversible inhibitors display short to medium durations of action. Short-acting agents include simple alcohols with...
Reversible inhibitors display short to medium durations of action. Short-acting agents include simple alcohols with...
724