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）是生物圈中最为成功的生命生存模式之一。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它们的难度显著提升。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，探寻用于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）愈发被开发为可在生物医学与制药领域广泛应用的活性分子来源。本综述聚焦于作为潜在抗生物被膜制剂的酶类，更具体地说，是源自海洋原核生物的此类酶类。本文概述了四类主要的破生物被膜酶类及其对应的海洋微生物生产者的最新研究发现，即核酸酶（nucleases）、葡聚糖酶（dextranases）、褐藻酸裂解酶（alginate lyases）与肽酶（peptidases）。文中呈现了当前文献中关键的生化特性与活性相关特征，以展示这些生物催化剂在生物被膜防控与预防方面的潜力。此外，本文还讨论了未来的研究方向，着重阐明了从海洋微生物组中筛选获取抗生物被膜酶类的成功要素与实施策略。通过呈现这一尚处起步阶段但前景光明的领域的概况，本综述证实了海洋环境是抗生物被膜制剂的丰富生物催化储库。