Recent Advances in the Development of Lipid-, Metal-, Carbon-, and Polymer-Based Nanomaterials for Antibacterial Applications

Abstract

Infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria are becoming a serious threat to public health worldwide. With an ever-reducing pipeline of last-resort drugs further complicating the current dire situation arising due to antibiotic resistance, there has never been a greater urgency to attempt to discover potential new antibiotics. The use of nanotechnology, encompassing a broad range of organic and inorganic nanomaterials, offers promising solutions. Organic nanomaterials, including lipid-, polymer-, and carbon-based nanomaterials, have inherent antibacterial activity or can act as nanocarriers in delivering antibacterial agents. Nanocarriers, owing to the protection and enhanced bioavailability of the encapsulated drugs, have the ability to enable an increased concentration of a drug to be delivered to an infected site and reduce the associated toxicity elsewhere. On the other hand, inorganic metal-based nanomaterials exhibit multivalent antibacterial mechanisms that combat MDR bacteria effectively and reduce the occurrence of bacterial resistance. These nanomaterials have great potential for the prevention and treatment of MDR bacterial infection. Recent advances in the field of nanotechnology are enabling researchers to utilize nanomaterial building blocks in intriguing ways to create multi-functional nanocomposite materials. These nanocomposite materials, formed by lipid-, polymer-, carbon-, and metal-based nanomaterial building blocks, have opened a new avenue for researchers due to the unprecedented physiochemical properties and enhanced antibacterial activities being observed when compared to their mono-constituent parts. This review covers the latest advances of nanotechnologies used in the design and development of nano- and nanocomposite materials to fight MDR bacteria with different purposes. Our aim is to discuss and summarize these recently established nanomaterials and the respective nanocomposites, their current application, and challenges for use in applications treating MDR bacteria. In addition, we discuss the prospects for antimicrobial nanomaterials and look forward to further develop these materials, emphasizing their potential for clinical translation.

Plasma-Etched Vertically Aligned CNTs with Enhanced Antibacterial Power

“…In addition, bacterial species can transfer drug-resistant genes to each other through horizontal gene transfer, which is the acquisition of foreign genes by an organism [ 1 ]. This results in the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria [ 2 ], an increasing trend due to the amplified use of antibiotics, especially during the coronavirus pandemic [ 3 ]. This adaptive response is linked to the microbes’ ability to adapt and survive in the most diverse conditions, often in the form of biofilms.…”

Metal-Based Nanoparticles as Antimicrobial Agents: A Review

“…Nanobacterial materials, including lipids, antimicrobial peptides, polymers, carbon-based NMs, metal oxides, and metal-based NMs, hold considerable potential for antimicrobial applications because they have effects that differ from the antimicrobial effects of typical antimicrobial medications …”

“…MNPs function differently from traditional antibiotics, making them beneficial for the loading of antimicrobial medications and the detection and treatment of infectious disorders . Of course, metal-based NMs still pose a risk to mammalian cells in terms of toxicity, aggregation, and environmental dangers. ,, …”

Metal-Based Nanoparticles: A Prospective Strategy for Helicobacter pylori Treatment

“… 44 In addition, their non-specific bacterial toxicity mechanism not only broadens the spectrum of antibacterial activity, but also makes it difficult for bacteria to develop resistance, attracting increased interest in the field of antimicrobial research, particularly in antibiotic-free antimicrobial strategies. 27 , 45 , 46 …”