Engineering biomimetic bacteria membrane-coated nanoparticles: an emerging anti-infection platform

Bacterial infections represent a global challenge, posing a significant burden and life-threatening complications. Traditional therapeutic regimens, primarily antibiotics, although effective, face intrinsic obstacles, particularly antibiotic resistance which necessitates alternative approaches. In recent years, biomimetic nanosystems have demonstrated promising therapeutic outcomes in advanced medical protocols. In this context, bacterial membranes have become increasingly popular as accessible biomaterials for biomedical applications. Bacterial membranes show great promise as natural nanocoatings for biomedical engineering due to their excellent biomimetic properties, precision targeting, immune evasion potential, and unique therapeutic capabilities. This review highlights current breakthroughs in the design and application of bacterial membrane-coated nanoparticles (BMCNs). It focuses on the biosafety of BMCNs in terms of their potential therapeutic applications for drug delivery, as antibacterial agents, to inhibit pathogen adhesion, and in tissue regeneration. In addition, the current limitations and future outlook of BMCNs for clinical translation are discussed. Collectively, this review article serves as an updated resource that researchers can leverage while developing and applying BMCNs.