Using salt to drive drug-carrying particles deeper into difficult-to-treat biofilms
Biofilms—bacterial communities encased in a sticky, polymer-rich matrix—can be difficult to treat because that matrix slows antibiotics and drug-carrying particles. With help from salt, though, Yale researchers have found a way to steer these particles into some biofilms and even deform the biofilm itself in certain cases. The study is published in Soft Matter.
Yale researchers have discovered a method to enhance the delivery of drug-carrying particles into biofilms using salt gradients. Biofilms, bacterial communities encased in a polymer-rich matrix, pose challenges for treatment as they limit the penetration of antibiotics and drug carriers. By introducing a higher-salt solution into biofilm-filled pores and then introducing colloidal particles in a lower-salt solution, the researchers observed that the resulting salt concentration gradient drove the particles deeper into the biofilms.
This salt-driven approach proved more effective than diffusion alone, particularly in less dense biofilms. However, the penetration efficiency declined as the biofilms matured and became denser. While smaller particles showed promise in navigating tight spaces, larger particles responded more strongly to the salt gradient under the tested conditions.
The researchers also noted that the gradient may cause the biofilm matrix to deform and partially remove material. This discovery could potentially transform biofilm density from an obstacle into a design parameter, with implications for water and industrial systems where biofilms clog confined spaces.
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