Skip to Content
MDPIMDPI

Advanced

JFBJournal of Functional Biomaterials
PDF
  • Editorial
  • Open Access

15 October 2026

3 Pages

Antibacterial Biomaterials for Medical Applications: From Materials Design to Functional Synergy

and
1
Global Institute of Future Technology (GIFT), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
2
State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
J. Funct. Biomater.2026, 17(10), 519;https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb17100519
This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibacterial Biomaterials for Medical Applications
Version Notes
Order Reprints
Biomaterials are widely used in medical devices, tissue repair, orthopedic and dental implants, wound management, and localized drug delivery. However, microbial adhesion, colonization, and biofilm formation remain major challenges that can compromise the safety and clinical performance of biomaterials. These concerns are particularly pressing in the context of increasingly complex infections and antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, developing biomaterials with effective and safe antimicrobial functions, while preserving biocompatibility, tissue integration, and therapeutic performance, has become an important research priority. This Special Issue comprises nine original research articles and one review, covering silver-based systems, bioactive inorganic materials, implant surface engineering, and nanocarrier-based delivery platforms. It highlights emerging strategies that bridge materials design and functional synergy.
The composition and intrinsic properties of biomaterials provide the foundation for antimicrobial activity. Du et al. reviewed the development and biomedical applications of silver and silver-based materials in wound management, while Holguín-Meráz et al. demonstrated the influence of silver nanoparticle size on oral biofilm inhibition. Wang et al. further integrated ultralow-dose silver nanoparticles with TiO2 nanotubes to combine infection control with immunomodulation and bone regeneration [1,2,3]. Rajkumar et al. elucidated the bactericidal mechanisms of S53P4 bioactive glass, highlighting the roles of ion release, membrane damage, and metabolic disruption, whereas Huang et al. improved the handling properties and antibacterial performance of premixed calcium silicate cement through compositional optimization [4,5]. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that antimicrobial performance is governed not only by the active component itself but also by material composition, dose, carrier architecture, and dissolution or release kinetics, underscoring a shift from simply introducing antimicrobial activities toward functional synergy.
At the material interface, surface chemistry and physical structure provide complementary means of regulating microbial interactions and host responses. Dorner-Reisel et al. showed that fullerene C60 films and tribomechanical surface patterning conferred moderate antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus on zirconia, whereas no comparable effect was observed against Escherichia coli, highlighting the species-dependent nature of surface-mediated antimicrobial activity [6]. Liu et al. developed mussel-inspired catechol-terminated quaternary ammonium compounds for facile titanium surface modification and demonstrated that antimicrobial activity could be tuned by alkyl chain length and coating strategy [7]. Iusan et al. further showed that nanostructured titanium surfaces could simultaneously reduce bacterial proliferation and biofilm formation while promoting osteoblastic adhesion and viability, illustrating the potential of physical surface design to couple infection control with osseointegration [8]. Beyond surface engineering, nanocarrier systems enable localized control over the stability, presentation, and release of antimicrobial agents. Tsamesidis et al. used Ca/Ce-doped mesoporous silica nanoparticles to enhance the loading and sustained release of Artemisia absinthium extract, whereas Sundar et al. developed a liposomal gel co-delivering silver nanoparticles and ibrexafungerp citrate for topical treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis [9,10]. Together, these studies highlight complementary approaches spanning surface chemistry, physical topography, and localized or combination delivery.
Future advances will require a shift from simply achieving antimicrobial efficacy toward developing safe, durable, and clinically relevant functional synergy. This will require standardized and physiologically relevant evaluation models that better capture biofilms, polymicrobial communities, and dynamic biological environments, together with integrated assessment of antimicrobial activity, biocompatibility, immune responses, tissue function, long-term stability, and potential resistance. Reproducible fabrication, scalable manufacturing, and rigorous quality control will also be essential for clinical translation. It is anticipated that future biomaterials will evolve from simple antimicrobial materials into systems that integrate multiple functions, such as antimicrobial activity, tissue regulation, and local drug delivery. However, how the integration of these functions affects antimicrobial activity and overall therapeutic efficacy in vivo remains to be further investigated.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, Y.W. and M.Z.; writing, M.Z.; review and editing, Y.W. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

No new data were created or analyzed in this study. Data sharing is not applicable to this article.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

  1. Du, Y.; Lu, J.; Guo, X.; Xia, Z.; Ji, S. The role of silver and silver-based products in wound management: A review of advances and current landscape. J. Funct. Biomater. 2026, 17, 27. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Scilit] [PubMed]
  2. Holguín-Meráz, C.; Martínez-Martínez, R.E.; Zaragoza-Contreras, E.A.; Domínguez-Pérez, R.A.; Reyes-López, S.Y.; Donohue-Cornejo, A.; Cuevas-González, J.C.; Silva-Benítez, E.d.L.; Molina-Frechero, N.; Espinosa-Cristóbal, L.F. Antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles against oral biofilms in subjects with motor and intellectual disabilities. J. Funct. Biomater. 2024, 15, 191. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Scilit] [PubMed]
  3. Wang, Z.; Xiang, P.; Xu, Z.; Gu, M.; Zhang, R.; Li, Y.; Xin, F.; Yi, C. Modulating osteoclast activity and immune responses with ultra-low-dose silver nanoparticle-loaded TiO2 nanotubes for osteoporotic bone regeneration. J. Funct. Biomater. 2025, 16, 162. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Scilit] [PubMed]
  4. Rajkumar, D.; Stiller, A.; Wijnheijmer, J.; Schimmel, I.M.; Hamoen, L.W.; Hupa, L.; van der Wel, N.N.; Balraadjsing, P.P.S.; Zaat, S.A.J. How bioactive glass S53P4 kills bacteria. J. Funct. Biomater. 2026, 17, 201. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Scilit] [PubMed]
  5. Huang, Y.-H.; Wu, I.-T.; Chen, C.-C.; Ding, S.-J. Synergistic effect of polyethylene glycol and lactic acid on handling properties and antibacterial efficacy of premixed calcium silicate cement. J. Funct. Biomater. 2024, 15, 187. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Scilit] [PubMed]
  6. Dorner-Reisel, A.; Li, J.; Trzaskowska, M.; Vivcharenko, V.; Chu, J.; Freiberger, E.; Ritter, U.; Przekora, A.; Zima, A.; Wang, T.; et al. ZrO2 ceramic without and with fullerene C60 films: In vitro direct-contact model using E. coli and S. aureus bacteria. J. Funct. Biomater. 2026, 17, 206. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Scilit] [PubMed]
  7. Liu, Z.-H.; Fan, N.-C.; Cheng, C.-H.; Lin, J.-C. Surface characterization and antimicrobial capability evaluation of medical-grade titanium modified by facile immersion in the solution of novel catechol-terminated compounds having cationic quaternary ammonium functionality with different alkyl chain lengths. J. Funct. Biomater. 2026, 17, 271. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Scilit] [PubMed]
  8. Iușan, S.A.L.; Feștilă, D.-G.; Mirică, I.-C.; Mureșan, G.C.; Petrescu, B.-N.; Sorițău, O.; Costache, C.; Toc, D.-A.; Andercou, O.; Aluaș, M.; et al. Balancing osseointegration and infection control: The role of titanium surface topography in peri-implant biology. J. Funct. Biomater. 2026, 17, 327. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Scilit] [PubMed]
  9. Tsamesidis, I.; Pouroutzidou, G.K.; Christodoulou, A.; Gkiliopoulos, D.; Amanatidou, D.; Axypolitou, S.; Bousnaki, M.; Michailidou, G.; Bikiaris, D.; Eleftheriou, P.; et al. Enhanced antibacterial activity of Artemisia absinthium extract containing artemisinin and polyphenols loaded into mesoporous silica calcium- and cerium-doped nanoparticles. J. Funct. Biomater. 2026, 17, 326. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Scilit] [PubMed]
  10. Sundar, P.S.; Patil, U.K.S.; Sarjerao, T.P.; Bhinge, S.D.; Galatage, S.T.; Sambamoorthy, U.; Kadam, R.J.; Solomon, V.R.; Manjappa, A.S. Synergistic liposomal delivery of ibrexafungerp citrate and marine-sourced silver nanoparticles for effective management of vulvovaginal candidiasis. J. Funct. Biomater. 2026, 17, 290. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Scilit] [PubMed]
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

Article Metrics

Citations

Article Access Statistics

Journal Statistics
Multiple requests from the same IP address are counted as one view.
State of the Art: Biomaterials and Oral Implantology—Editorial
Previous
Prefabrication of an Axially Vascularized Bone Graft: Proof of Concept for a BMP-2-Based Cell-Free Approach
Next