ArticleNPJ biofilms and microbiomes2025
Alginate exopolymer significantly modulates the viscoelastic properties and resilience of bacterial biofilms.
Article in NPJ biofilms and microbiomes, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Microbial Biofilms as Barriers to Chronic Wound Healing: Diagnostic Challenges and Therapeutic Advances.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Biofilms are viscoelastic gels with a cross-linked network of biopolymers forming an extracellular matrix that protects bacteria from most antimicrobial treatments. This study examines the physical role of the matrix in preventing recolonisation using a mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa ΔmucA) and isogenic wild-type Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. We investigated the recolonisation of pre-formed live biofilms and the residual matrix left behind after bacterial eradication with N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). P. aeruginosa ΔmucA, which overproduces alginate, prevented recolonisation through swelling and increased elastic modulus. In contrast, the wild-type P. aeruginosa biofilm matrix exhibited minimal swelling and decreased elasticity, suggesting crosslink breakage. These observations align with polymer physics theories where alginate's polyelectrolyte nature drives swelling through the Donnan effect, enhancing matrix stability. Meanwhile, the Psl-rich wild-type matrix limited swelling but showed reduced mechanical stability. This study underscores the critical role of matrix composition in biofilm mechanics, influencing bacterial protection regardless of viability.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.