Fungal quorum sensing molecules as potential drugs in the treatment of chronic wounds and their delivery.

Introduction: Chronic non-healing wounds have emerged as a significant global healthcare challenge. Biofilm induced wound infections has been widely acknowledged. Despite the advanced understanding of biofilm formation, the existing approaches for diagnosing biofilms in wounds remain considerably suboptimal. Chemical signals produced by fungi to sense their environment, known as quorum sensing (QS) molecules are anticipated to cause revolution in non-healing wound antisepsis.

Areas covered: Biofilms render chronic wounds resistant to treatment and impede tissue repair by inducing chronic inflammation. QS is a biochemical signaling pathway that involves certain secreted molecules, namely phenylethanoids, indolyl, and sesquiterpene alcohols that can significantly minimize and obliterate bacterial biofilms if properly applied and released in wound treatments.

Expert opinion: QS molecules (QSMs) possess inhibitory properties that obstruct the formation of microbial biofilms and exhibit synergism with common antimicrobials. They can disrupt biofilms formed by drug-resistant microorganisms. The understanding of the current mechanisms and advancements in the utilization of QSMs within diverse drug delivery systems, and their release dynamics will be crucial in new drug design and delivery. Exploration of co-delivery of drugs alongside QS molecules, and assessing their impact on healing of chronic wounds before moving to clinical trials remain unaddressed.