Bacterial Extracellular Polymeric Substances for the Removal of Antibiotics from The Environment as Nature-based Solutions

Pollution and ecosystem degradation are environmental issues that require attention and sustainable solutions. The emergence of antibiotic resistance poses an urgent threat to public health and demands new strategies for the benefit of the environment. This review summarizes the current knowledge on microbial dynamics, focusing on the role of bacterial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and exopolysaccharides (EPS) in shielding microorganisms. EPS play a critical role in the biofilm formation, nutrient cycling and interspecies communication. Bacterial polysaccharides have beneficial properties that can be used to develop new solutions for addressing urgent public health and environmental protection issues. Consequently, the characteristics of EPS may hold significant implications for novel biotechnological applications that address challenges related to antibiotic resistance, pollutants and environmental health. The current work aims to highlight the effects of EPS in moderating bacterial antibiotic resistance, and it calls for a deeper understanding of microbial dynamics in both natural ecosystems and engineered environments.