Potential biomedical applications of biosurfactants derived from extremophilic bacteria: A review

Abstract

Surfactants are surface-active compounds mainly synthesized from petroleum. While widely used in various industrial applications, concerns about their economic and environmental impacts have led to the search for more sustainable alternatives, such as biosurfactants (BSs). BSs are diverse amphipathic molecules with unique chemical structures, synthesized by various microorganisms as secondary metabolites crucial for their survival. Extremophiles are a diverse group of microorganisms that thrive in extreme conditions and possess remarkable physicochemical properties and adaptability, making them excellent candidates for mining novel surface-active compounds and other molecules. Recent descriptions highlight how BSs from extremophilic bacteria possess properties that make them suitable for food, agriculture, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic applications. This review focuses on the biomedical applications of BSs from extremophilic bacteria, highlighting their anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, antibiofilm, antiviral, anti-proliferative, wound healing, cosmeceutical, drug delivery, and green nanostructure synthesis properties.