Quorum-sensing-responsive materials: Toward living smart interfaces in biomedical systems

Review article, 2026

Quorum-sensing-sensitive materials are emerging as innovative platforms with significant clinical potential, particularly in the areas of infection diagnosis, targeted antimicrobial therapy, and wound management. By leveraging bacterial communication molecules such as acylhomoserine lactones and autoinducer peptides, these smart materials can detect early pathogenic activity before overt clinical symptoms appear. By sensing quorum-signaling thresholds associated with virulence activation or biofilm formation, the materials can trigger controlled antimicrobial release, modulate local immune responses, or modify surface properties to prevent bacterial adhesion. Such “living” interfaces offer a dynamic alternative to traditional passive biomaterials, enabling real-time, infection-specific therapeutic effects with reduced systemic drug exposure. This review summarizes the clinical significance, mechanism-driven design principles, and translational challenges of quorum-sensing-sensitive materials, highlighting their potential to address antibiotic resistance, improve patient outcomes, and support precision infection control in modern healthcare.