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REVIEW article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Antimicrobials, Resistance and Chemotherapy
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1445630

Multiple biological characteristics and functions of intestinal biofilm extracellular polymers: friend or foe?

Provisionally accepted
Fengrong Gong Fengrong Gong 1Shuzi Xin Shuzi Xin 1Xiaohui Liu Xiaohui Liu 1Chengwei He Chengwei He 1Xinyi Yu Xinyi Yu 1Luming Pan Luming Pan 1Sitian Zhang Sitian Zhang 1Han Gao Han Gao 2Jingdong Xu Jingdong Xu 3*
  • 1 Capital Medical University, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
  • 2 Department of Clinical Laboratory, Aerospace Center Hospital, Beijing, China
  • 3 Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Basic Medical School, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The gut microbiota is vital to human health, and their biofilms significantly impact intestinal immunity and the maintenance of microbial balance. Certain pathogens, however, can employ biofilms to elude identification by the immune system and medical therapy, resulting in intestinal diseases. The biofilm is formed by extracellular polymorphic substances (EPS), which shield microbial pathogens from the host immune system and enhance its antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, investigating the impact of extracellular polysaccharides released by pathogens that form biofilms on virulence and defence mechanisms is crucial. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of current pathogenic biofilm research, deal with the role of extracellular polymers in the formation and maintenance of pathogenic biofilm, and elaborate different prevention and treatment strategies to provide an innovative approach to the treatment of intestinal pathogen-based diseases.

    Keywords: intestinal pathogens, Biofilms, Exopolymers, Biological characteristics, prevention

    Received: 07 Jun 2024; Accepted: 29 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Gong, Xin, Liu, He, Yu, Pan, Zhang, Gao and Xu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Jingdong Xu, Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Basic Medical School, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.