Nitric Oxide Delivery Materials for Antimicrobial Applications

Nitric oxide (NO) has an important regulatory role in microbial growth processes, which has triggered a boom in NO-mediated antimicrobial therapies. It is not easy to generate bacterial resistance through NO-mediated antimicrobial therapy because of the unique antibacterial and antibiofilm mechanisms of NO. The antimicrobial properties of NO are concentration-dependent, and therefore controlled delivery of NO to the infected lesion site is critical for antimicrobial efficacy. However, direct administration of NO or small-molecule NO donors lacks controllability and tissue specificity because of the high activity and short lifespan of NO. To achieve efficient antimicrobial performance, versatile biomedical materials have been developed to facilitate NO loading, targeted delivery, and controlled release. This chapter will focus on the recent advances in NO delivery materials designed for antimicrobial purposes.