Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42587005›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

400 nm femtosecond laser irradiation eradicates mature MRSA biofilms and inhibits their formation via quorum sensing dysregulation.

Esraa Ahmed, Ahmed O El-Gendy, Michael R Hamblin, Tarek Mohamed

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Esraa AhmedLaser Institute for Research and Applications LIRA, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 62511, Egypt. esr3ahmed@lira.bsu.edu.eg.ORCID 0000-0003-1534-5565
Ahmed O El-GendyLaser Institute for Research and Applications LIRA, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 62511, Egypt.
Michael R HamblinLaser Research Centre, Faculty of Health Science, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein, 2028, South Africa.
Tarek MohamedLaser Institute for Research and Applications LIRA, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 62511, Egypt.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Biofilm infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) represent a critical global health challenge. This study comprehensively assessed the anti-biofilm efficacy of femtosecond laser treatment for both the prevention of biofilm formation and the destruction of pre-formed mature biofilms. The experimental setup utilized the INSPIRE HF100 laser system, which was pumped by the MAI TAI HP laser system, to provide femtosecond laser pulses at a wavelength of 400 nm, varying both the exposure duration and average power. We found that all the femtosecond laser treatments effectively impaired MRSA's ability to form biofilms, with the most potent effect observed at an average power of 50 mW for 45 min, with a significant 75.3% reduction in biofilm viability, 44.5% biomass reduction, and 60-85% reduction in metabolic activity achieved at 45 min (p < 0.0001 by ANOVA and Tukey test). Furthermore, the destruction of pre-formed biofilms was strongly dependent on the exposure duration, with 69% reduction in biofilm viability, 27.7% biomass reduction, and a 55.7% reduction in metabolic activity achieved at 45 min (p < 0.0001 by ANOVA and Tukey test). Gene expression analysis of 14 selected genes supports a model in which the femtosecond laser induced a significant transcriptional dysregulation across the quorum-sensing network, suggestive of a broad-scale attenuation of regulatory activity and leading to a functional failure in biofilm establishment, despite the transcriptional upregulation of adhesion genes. The integration of our quantitative (CFU), physical (CV), metabolic (MTT), morphological (SEM), and molecular (RT-qPCR) data provides a comprehensive "multi-dimensional" understanding of how 400 nm femtosecond laser irradiation mitigates MRSA biofilm formation and facilitates the eradication of mature biofilms. This work reports the optimization of femtosecond laser parameters for both anti-virulence and biofilm destruction, positioning it as a promising antibacterial modality against multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.

Indexed as

BiofilmsLasersMethicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureusQuorum SensingGene Expression Regulation, BacterialMicrobial ViabilityAntibacterial photodynamic therapyBiofilm biomassDecoupling gene expressionFemtosecond laserIca operonMRSAQuorum-sensing

Identifiers

PMID42587005
PMCPMC13469627

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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.