Going Beyond Antibiotics: Natural Plant Extracts as an Emergent Strategy to Combat Biofilm-Associated Infections.

Biofilms are a collective of multiple types of bacteria that develop on a variety of surfaces. Biofilm development results in heightened resistance to antibiotics. Quorum sensing plays an important role in biofilm development as it is one of the common communication mechanisms within cells, which balances and stabilizes the environment, when the amount of bacteria increases. Because of the important implications of the roles biofilms play in infectious diseases, it is crucial to investigate natural antibacterial agents that are able to regulate biofilm formation and development. Various studies have suggested that natural plant products have the potential to suppress bacterial growth and exhibit chemopreventive traits in the modulation of biofilm development. In this review, we discuss and collate potential antibiofilm drugs and biological molecules from natural sources, along with their underlying mechanisms of action. In addition, we also discuss the antibiofilm drugs that are currently under clinical trials and highlight their potential future uses.

3D printing for oral drug delivery: a new tool to customize drug delivery.

The involvement of recent technologies, such as nanotechnology and three-dimensional printing (3DP), in drug delivery has become the utmost importance for effective and safe delivery of potent therapeutics, and thus, recent advancement for oral drug delivery through 3DP technology has been expanded. The use of computer-aided design (CAD) in 3DP technology allows the manufacturing of drug formulation with the desired release rate and pattern. Currently, the most applicable 3DP technologies in the oral drug delivery system are inkjet printing method, fused deposition method, nozzle-based extrusion system, and stereolithographic 3DP. In 2015, the first 3D-printed tablet was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and since then, it has opened up more opportunities in the discovery of formulation for the development of an oral drug delivery system. 3DP allows the production of an oral drug delivery device that enables tailor-made formulation with customizable size, shape, and release rate. Despite the advantages offered by 3DP technology in the drug delivery system, there are challenges in terms of drug stability, safety as well as applicability in the clinical sector. Nonetheless, 3DP has immense potential in the development of drug delivery devices for future personalized medicine. This article will give the recent advancement along with the challenges of 3DP techniques for the development of oral drug delivery. Graphical abstract.