ABSTRACT
Microbes persisting as biolms have received major attention in recent times due to the diculty they pose against their therapeutic measures. Antibiotics were dubbed as the “wonder drugs” of the twentieth century to curb the threat of infectious diseases [1]. In recent years, the expectations surrounding these drugs as the rst line of choice for treating infectious diseases started to vanish due to the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant microbes. Drugs that were once lethal have now become ineective against certain organisms that have evolved and developed the ability to survive therapeutic doses. Ranging from systemic disease conditions to localized oral infections, antimicrobial resistance shown by the bacteria is an area of
5.1 Introduction 89
5.2 Biofilm bacteria as a therapeutic target 90
5.3Therapeutic strategies against biofilms 91
5.4 Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy 92
5.4.1 Photosensitizers 92
5.4.2 Light sources 93
5.4.3 Mechanisms 93
5.4.4 Antibiofilm efficacy 94
5.5 Challenges in APDT 94
5.5.1 Depth of photosensitizer/light penetration in infected tissues 94
5.5.2 Influence of inactivating factors in infected tissues 95
5.6 Steps to enhance antibiofilm efficacy of APDT 95
5.6.1 Pretreatments with membrane-permeabilizing agents 95
5.6.2 Application of photosensitizer conjugates 96
5.6.3 Photosensitizer charge, stimulation, and modification 96
5.6.4 Specific photosensitizer delivery systems 97
5.6.5 Efflux pump inhibitors 97
5.7 Concluding remarks 97
References 98
increasing concern. e epidemic of resistant bacteria has spurred renewed interest in the research community to develop alternative antimicrobial approaches [2].
