Marine microbial enzymes as potential antibiofilm agents: expanding the arsenal of bioactive agents targeting biofilm-forming microorganisms

Biofilms are one of the most successful modes of life in the biosphere. In these assemblages, bacteria usually display higher resistance to environmental stressors, thus making their removal through the use of conventional approaches significantly more difficult. Currently, biofilms are one of the major challenges in healthcare settings, often resulting in higher mortality and morbidity rates. Therefore, seeking alternative approaches to manage biofilm-related infections is important. In the last decades, marine microbiomes have been increasingly harnessed as sources of molecules with wide-ranging applications in both the biomedical and pharmaceutical sectors. This review focuses on enzymes as potential antibiofilm agents, more specifically those derived from marine prokaryotes. An overview of the recent findings regarding four main classes of biofilm-disrupting enzymes and their respective marine microbial producers, namely nucleases, dextranases, alginate lyases, and peptidases is provided. Key biochemical and activity-related features from the current literature are presented to showcase the potential of these biocatalysts for biofilm control and prevention. Future research directions are also discussed, highlighting factors and strategies for successful prospecting of antibiofilm enzymes from marine microbiomes. By offering a snapshot of this infant but promising field, this review evidences the marine environment as a fruitful biocatalytic reservoirs of antibiofilm agents.

生物被膜（Biofilms）是生物圈中最成功的生存模式之一。在这类细菌聚集体中，菌体通常对环境胁迫因子展现出更强的抗性，这使得通过常规手段清除这类生物被膜的难度大幅提升。当前，生物被膜是医疗环境中的主要挑战之一，往往会导致更高的死亡率与发病率。因此，探寻管控生物被膜相关感染的替代方案具有重要意义。近数十年来，海洋微生物组（marine microbiomes）愈发被用作各类活性分子的来源，这些分子在生物医学与制药领域拥有广泛应用价值。本综述聚焦于作为潜在抗生物被膜剂（antibiofilm agents）的酶类，更具体地说，是源自海洋原核生物的相关酶类。本文综述了四类主要的破生物被膜酶及其对应的产酶海洋微生物的最新研究进展，这四类酶分别为核酸酶（nucleases）、葡聚糖酶（dextranases）、褐藻酸裂解酶（alginate lyases）以及肽酶（peptidases）。本文梳理了现有文献中记载的关键生化特性与活性相关特征，以彰显这些生物催化剂在生物被膜防控中的应用潜力。本文还探讨了未来的研究方向，着重阐明从海洋微生物组中发掘抗生物被膜酶的关键影响因素与可行策略。通过梳理这一新兴且极具前景的研究领域的概况，本综述证实海洋环境是抗生物被膜剂的优质生物催化宝库。