Smart responsive materials for antibacterial therapy: Progress, opportunities, and challenges

Bacterial infections threaten global human health, driving the rapid development of antibacterial materials over the past two decades. However, the clinical application is limited due to the rapid presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the brutal penetration of biofilm. ’Smart’ responsive antibacterial materials (SRAMs) that respond to endogenous/exogenous stimuli to release antibacterial factors are appealing therapeutic agents for developing next-generation antibacterial materials. Those materials can evade existing mechanisms associated with acquired drug resistance and could also provide an alternative strategy to treat biofilms due to their spatiotemporal controllability and negligible side effects. SRAMs have emerged as a promising tool to combat bacterial infections that are difficult to treat. To better understand the interaction between SRAMs and biological tissues, this review highlights the mechanisms underlying SRAM-mediated eradication of both planktonic bacteria and biofilms and recent advances in designing SRAMs that respond to internal/external stimuli. Meanwhile, we also summarize the latest progress in the development of SRAMs. Properties of internal- or external-stimuli-responsive smart antibacterial materials are outlined, and we also discuss the potential features required for antibacterial applications of various infectious diseases. Furthermore, it also discussed the current challenges and future prospects, particularly emphasizing clinical translation for these smart antimicrobial platforms.