title: Nitric oxide-releasing polyacrylonitrile disperses biofilms formed by wound-relevant pathogenic bacteria.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of a nitric oxide (NO)-releasing polymer against wound-relevant bacterial pathogens.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using a variety of 96-well plate assay systems that include standard well plates and the minimum biofilm eradication concentration biofilm assay well plate, a NO-releasing polymer based on (poly)acrylonitrile (PAN/NO) was studied for antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity against the common wound pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1), Staphylococcus aureus (Mu50) and Enterococcus faecalis (V583). The polymer was capable of dispersing single-species biofilms of Ps. aeruginosa as well as a more clinically relevant multispecies biofilm that incorporates Ps. aeruginosa along with Staph. aureus and Ent. faecalis. PAN/NO also synergistically enhanced the susceptibility of the multispecies biofilms to the common broad-spectrum antibiotic, ciprofloxacin. Multiple in vitro biocompatibility assays show that PAN/NO has limited potential for mammalian cytotoxicity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing the NO-releasing polymer, PAN/NO, to manage biofilms formed by wound-relevant pathogens, and provides proof-of-concept for use of this NO-releasing polymer platform across multiple disciplines where bacterial biofilms pose significant problems.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the clinical sector, bacterial biofilms represent a substantial treatment challenge for health care professionals and are widely recognized as a key factor in prolonging patient morbidity. This study highlights the potential role for the ubiquitous signalling molecule nitric oxide (NO) as an antibiofilm therapy.
authors.affiliation: iFyber LLC, Ithaca, NY, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Craven
authors.affiliation: College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Albany, NY, USA.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kasper
authors.affiliation: iFyber LLC, Ithaca, NY, USA.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Canfield
authors.affiliation: iFyber LLC, Ithaca, NY, USA.
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Diaz-Morales
authors.affiliation: Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hrabie
authors.affiliation: College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Albany, NY, USA.
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Cady
authors.affiliation: iFyber LLC, Ithaca, NY, USA.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Strickland
mesh_terms: D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000737:chemistry*; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects*; D002939:Ciprofloxacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000180:Acrylic Resins; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; C010504:polyacrylonitrile; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D002939:Ciprofloxacin
keywords: biofilm; biofilm dispersal; chronic wounds; nitric oxide; polymer