Nitric Oxide–Releasing Macromolecular Scaffolds for Antibacterial Applications

Exogenous nitric oxide (NO) represents an attractive antibacterial agent because of its ability to both disperse and directly kill bacterial biofilms while avoiding resistance. Due to the challenges associated with administering gaseous NO, NO‐releasing macromolecular scaffolds are developed to facilitate NO delivery. This progress report describes the rational design and application of NO‐releasing macromolecular scaffolds as antibacterial therapeutics. Special consideration is given to the role of the physicochemical properties of the NO storage vehicles on antibacterial or anti‐biofilm activity. Developing novel therapies to combat drug‐resistant bacteria and biofilms infections is a vibrant research area. This review describes recent progress of nitric oxide‐releasing macromolecular scaffolds as antibacterial agents. The correlation between the physicochemical properties of the nitric oxide‐release systems and antimicrobial activity is presented to provide guidance on the rational design of nitric oxide‐based therapies.