Biocompatible and antibacterial polymers for biomedical applications: a minireview

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Antimicrobial resistance and biofilm infections are critical global health threats.
• Traditional antimicrobials face challenges like cytotoxicity, poor biofilm penetration, and resistance induction.
• There is an urgent need for novel biocompatible antibacterial materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the potential of highly biocompatible and antibacterial polymers.
• To highlight the importance of the selectivity index (SI) for material assessment.
• To summarize representative examples and applications of these advanced polymers.

Main Methods:

• Literature review focusing on biocompatible antibacterial polymers.
• Analysis of the selectivity index (SI) for evaluating antimicrobial materials.
• Summarization of polymer types including polymeric quaternary ammonium salts, chitosan derivatives, polyamino acids, and N-halamine polymers.

Main Results:

• Biocompatible polymers demonstrate broad-spectrum antimicrobial efficacy with reduced toxicity.
• Polymers achieve synergistic antibacterial actions via membrane destabilization, oxidative stress, and biofilm suppression.
• High SI values correlate with potent antimicrobial activity and superior biocompatibility.

Conclusions:

• Biocompatible antibacterial polymers represent a transformative approach to combating resistant infections.
• These materials offer tunable properties for diverse biomedical applications, from medical devices to tissue engineering.
• Further research into scalable manufacturing, biosafety, and multifunctional designs is essential.