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Antimicrobial or Antibiofilm Activity of Biodegradable Substances

A special issue of Current Issues in Molecular Biology (ISSN 1467-3045). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2026 | Viewed by 3902

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Mukogawa Women’s University, 11–68 Koshien 9-Bancho, Nishimiya, Hyogo 663-8179, Japan
Interests: taste sensor; pharmaceutics; carefoods; biosensor; taste development; bitterness; sweetness; umami; taste of lipid
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are calling for papers on biodegradable materials with antibacterial or antibiofilm activity. While there is a global need to curb the overuse of antibacterial agents to prevent the spread of drug-resistant bacteria, it has been discovered that biodegradable materials that are not involved in conventional drug-resistance mechanisms and do not disrupt ecosystems may be useful in preventing and treating infectious diseases. Biofilms are structures formed by bacteria on solid surfaces or at air–liquid interfaces. Many pathogenic microorganisms have been reported to form biofilms. When biofilm infections are suspected in patients using medical devices placed in their bodies, there are currently no fundamental treatments other than removing those devices, making this an urgent issue that needs to be resolved. Biodegradable substances with biofilm activity against pathogenic microorganisms can not only prevent the formation of biofilms in the body or destroy and remove them but also, because they are biodegradable, avoid disrupting the ecosystem.

Prof. Dr. Miyako Yoshida
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • antibacterial
  • antibiofilm
  • antimicrobial
  • biodegradable
  • drug-resistance

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3760 KB  
Article
Anti-Biofilm Activity of Combinations of Cinnamic Acid and Its Derivatives with Cloxacillin Against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis
by Tomasz Zawiła, Denis Swolana, Marta Zawiła, Zuzanna Rzepka and Robert D. Wojtyczka
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2026, 48(3), 336; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb48030336 - 23 Mar 2026
Viewed by 727
Abstract
Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) poses a significant clinical challenge, particularly in the context of biofilm-associated infections, with increasing antibiotic resistance further complicating infection eradication. In the present study, the effects of cinnamic acid and its derivatives (ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, [...] Read more.
Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) poses a significant clinical challenge, particularly in the context of biofilm-associated infections, with increasing antibiotic resistance further complicating infection eradication. In the present study, the effects of cinnamic acid and its derivatives (ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, and sinapic acid), alone and in combination with the β-lactam antibiotic cloxacillin, on biofilm formation by a single methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE) clinical strain were explored. The expression of the biofilm-associated icaADBC operon genes and the icaR repressor gene was assessed using Real-Time PCR as an exploratory analysis under sub-minimal inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) of the tested compounds. Furthermore, confocal microscopy was used to qualitatively assess selected structural changes in the biofilm. Their occurrence was demonstrated depending on the fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) levels used. The results revealed variable and nonlinear patterns of gene expression in response to the tested concentrations. Additionally, compound-dependent differences in anti-biofilm-related responses were observed. Overall, the findings provide insight into the potential influence of cinnamic acid derivatives combined with cloxacillin on biofilm-associated processes in S. epidermidis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial or Antibiofilm Activity of Biodegradable Substances)
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14 pages, 2443 KB  
Article
Antifungal Activity of Four Medium-Chain Fatty Acids and γ-Undecalactone Against Candida albicans
by Miyako Yoshida, Hiroaki Terada, Saki Hayashi, Tamami Haraguchi, Mayuko Watanabe, Mana Yamashita, Miki Yoshii, Yoshiro Hatanaka and Toshihiro Nagao
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2026, 48(2), 150; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb48020150 - 29 Jan 2026
Viewed by 2929
Abstract
In this paper, the antifungal activity of medium-chain fatty acids with 8 to 11 carbon atoms in their chemical structures, medium-chain fatty acid lactones, and a partially fluorinated medium-chain fatty acid was determined. As the length of the alkyl chain increased in medium-chain [...] Read more.
In this paper, the antifungal activity of medium-chain fatty acids with 8 to 11 carbon atoms in their chemical structures, medium-chain fatty acid lactones, and a partially fluorinated medium-chain fatty acid was determined. As the length of the alkyl chain increased in medium-chain fatty acids with 8 to 11 carbon atoms, the MIC and MFC became smaller, with increased antifungal activity (octanoic acid, 225 µg/mL(MIC), 450 µg/mL (MFC); nonanoic acid, 225 µg/mL (MIC), 450 µg/mL (MFC); decanoic acid, 112.5 µg/mL (MIC), 225 µg/mL (MFC); undecanoic acid, 112.5 µg/mL (MIC), 225 µg/mL (MFC)), whereas the antifungal activity of γ-undecalactone, in which the carboxyl group of the medium-chain fatty acid with 11 carbon atoms was converted to a five-membered lactone ring, also had antifungal activity (γ-undecalactone, 112.5 µg/mL (MIC), 225 µg/mL (MFC)). The antifungal activity of the partially fluorinated fatty acid with 11 carbon atoms and δ-undecalactone was not observed and their MICs were not evaluated in this study. The equation derived through multiple regression analysis revealed that the polarizability value was significantly related to the MICs or MFCs of fatty acids containing 8 to 11 carbon atoms and γ-undecalactone (R2 = 0.78, p < 0.05). C. albicans cultured at 37 °C with γ-undecalactone at the MIC formed hyphae or biofilms, which were observed using scanning electron microscopy in this study. Dead C. albicans were observed when cultured at 37 °C with γ-undecalactone at the MFC, indicating that in order to demonstrate complete killing, C. albicans must be killed at or above the MFC of γ-undecalactone when cultured at 37 °C. γ-undecalactone exhibited no hemolytic activity at the MFC, similar to negative controls. Our results show that γ-undecalactone has an antifungal effect against C. albicans over the MFC, without hemodialysis as the observed cytotoxicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial or Antibiofilm Activity of Biodegradable Substances)
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