How to manage Helicobacter pylori infection beyond antibiotics: The bioengineering quest

One-Pot Microfluidics to Engineer Chitosan Nanoparticles Conjugated with Antimicrobial Peptides Using “Photoclick” Chemistry: Validation Using the Gastric Bacterium Helicobacter pylori

“…Antibiotic resistance is growing at a higher speed than expected, being considered a public health issue as well as a threat to global health and development Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a Gram-negative bacterium that infects the gastric mucosa of 50% of the world population, was considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria for which it is urgent to develop alternative treatments (the failure of current therapies is estimated at 10–40%). − Therefore, antibiotic-free bioengineered strategies against this pathogen, even when organized in biofilms, have gained relevance. − Chitosan nano/microparticles have been developed (i) as gastric drug delivery systems to protect drugs from the harsh gastric environment (e.g., mannose, rhamnolipids, curcumin, and antimicrobial peptidesAMP), (ii) to kill, or (iii) to bind and remove H. pylori from the stomach .…”

“… 2 − 4 Therefore, antibiotic-free bioengineered strategies against this pathogen, even when organized in biofilms, have gained relevance. 5 − 7 Chitosan nano/microparticles have been developed (i) as gastric drug delivery systems to protect drugs from the harsh gastric environment (e.g., mannose, 8 rhamnolipids, 9 curcumin, 10 and antimicrobial peptides—AMP 11 ), (ii) to kill, 12 or (iii) to bind and remove H. pylori from the stomach. 13 Although few AMPs (MSI-78 and its analogue MSI-78A) 14 , 15 are effective against H. pylori , they are a promising therapeutic strategy to counteract gastric infection due to their bactericidal effect coupled with a low propensity for resistance development.…”