FIG. 3.

In vitro eradication of established biofilms using hydrogels loaded with antibacterial components: (a) different concentrations of ultrasmall silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) (25 and 50 μg/g gel) were incorporated into Pluronic F-127 hydrogels to destroy the structures of P. aeruginosa biofilms.⁸⁴ Reproduced with permission from Haidari et al., ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 12(37), 41011–41025 (2020). Copyright 2020 American Chemical Society. (b) Dextran methacrylate hydrogel was synthesized by photopolymerization polymer for encapsulating antibacterial cationic small molecules, which can penetrate the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of the established S. aureus and E. coli biofilms.⁵³ Reproduced with permission from Hoque et al., ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 9(19), 15975–15985 (2017). Copyright 2017 American Chemical Society.