Microbial biofilms are complex three-dimensional structures where sessile microbes are embedded in a polymeric extracellular matrix. Their resistance toward the host immune system as well as to a diverse range of antimicrobial treatments poses a serious health and development threat, being in the top 10 global public health threats declared by the World Health Organization. In an effort to combat biofilm-related microbial infections, several strategies have been developed to independently eliminate biofilms or to complement conventional antibiotic therapies. However, their limitations leave room for other treatment alternatives, where the application of nanotechnology to biofilm eradication has gained significant relevance in recent years. Their small size, penetration efficiency, and the design flexibility that they present makes them a promising alternative for biofilm infection treatment, although they also present set-backs. This review aims to describe the main possibilities and limitations of nanomedicine against biofilms, while covering the main aspects of biofilm formation and study, and the current therapies for biofilm treatment.

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对抗生物膜感染的纳米医学：挑战和局限性的路线图

微生物生物膜是复杂的三维结构，其中固着微生物嵌入聚合物细胞外基质中。它们对宿主免疫系统以及多种抗菌治疗的抵抗力构成了严重的健康和发展威胁，被世界卫生组织列为全球十大公共卫生威胁之一。为了对抗生物膜相关的微生物感染，已经开发了几种策略来独立消除生物膜或补充传统的抗生素疗法。然而，它们的局限性为其他治疗替代方案留下了空间，其中纳米技术在生物膜根除中的应用近年来获得了显着的相关性。它们的小尺寸、穿透效率和设计灵活性使它们成为生物膜感染治疗的有前途的替代方案，尽管它们也存在缺陷。本综述旨在描述纳米医学对抗生物膜的主要可能性和局限性，同时涵盖生物膜形成和研究的主要方面，以及当前生物膜治疗的疗法。