• Nanoparticles as therapeutic options for treating multidrug-resistant bacteria
  • Mahtab Azizi,1,*
    1. Islamic Azad University North Tehran Branch Microbiology


  • Introduction: The potential for medication delivery in nanostructures is a major driver of interest in this field of medicine. It's interesting to note that the first medication delivery methods using nanoparticles appeared in the early 1990s. Since then, a number of new-generation nanoparticles with fresh medicinal approaches have been created. Therapeutic and diagnostic nanoparticles fall under two categories: inorganic (AgNps, AuNps, CuONps, ZnONps, TiO2Nps, MgONps, CaONps, Fe2O3Nps, MnO2Nps, etc.) and organic (liposomes, polymeric NPs, micelles, solid lipid Nps (SLNs), nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), nanocapsules, nanotubes, quantum dots, dendrimers, emulsions, nanogels, and vesicles). This study looked into the use of nanoparticles as therapeutic alternatives for multidrug-resistant bacteria.
  • Methods: This review study has been written from scientific databases such as Science Direct, Springer, Google Scholar, and PubMed.
  • Results: Several inorganic nanoparticles have been successful in clinical studies and have been developed in the clinic for several applications. Organic nanoparticles have frequently been used in vaccine production and as drug delivery agents. Organic nanoparticles delivered intravenously as treatments for several diseases are also available (Petros and DeSimone 2010). Organic and inorganic nanoparticles have some distinct advantages over several intravenously administered pharmaceutical products. Compared to free drug counterparts, many organic nanoparticles can be fabricated to provide enhanced drug protection, controlled release, prolonged circulation and enhanced target to specific tissues. Moreover, the stimuli-responsive functions emanating from the surface plasmon resonance of inorganic nanoparticles give them an advantage over individual drugs or molecules. Nanomaterials have been effective against several microbes. A study by Sarwar et al. showed that ZnONps form a complex with cholera toxin, compromise its structure, and stop its interaction with receptors present in the erythrocytes. Also, M. tuberculosis showed in vitro susceptibility to AgNps, TiO2, and SeNps, although their mechanism of action remains unclear. AgNps loaded into Ti nanotubes showed promise against biofilm cells formed by MRSA. Its mechanism of action was via the release of Ag+. Also, lipid-coated MSNps loaded with colistin and conjugated with LL-37 showed activity against P. aeruginosa-associated pulmonary infections through an isoniazid bactericidal effect. It has also been reported that bacteria exposed to AgNps upregulate genes responsible for protecting against oxidative stress (soxR, oxyR, sodB, sodA) and genes responsible for converting hydrogen peroxide to oxygen. In their investigation, Zhang et al. (2018) showed that Al2O3Nps and ZnONps accelerate mutagenesis and the emergence of multiple resistance. According to the investigation, two nanoparticles increased mutation frequency and an increase in multi-antibiotic resistance in the mutation compared to the controls. The nanoparticles also enhanced intracellular ROS, leading to a rise in the frequency of antibiotic resistance mutagenesis.
  • Conclusion: It is becoming clear that nanoparticles have the power to alter clinical treatment by enhancing existing medicines or introducing novel therapeutic agents. Studies on the toxicity and biocompatibility of the various combinations are required for translation into clinical practice. The processes by which bacteria resist nanoparticles have not yet been fully investigated, and they require considerable attention. Future research should make use of the adaptive mechanisms of microbial resistance to nanoparticles in order to prevent the problem of resistance associated with traditional antibiotics. Nanomaterials' distinctive qualities will enable them to revolutionize technology in the next years. Research on nanoparticles should focus on ways to lessen their hazardous effects on humans and increase their bioavailability, nevertheless. However, one important target area of nanoparticle research should be to reduce their toxic effect on humans and enhance their bioavailability and stability.
  • Keywords: Nanoparticles, resistant bacteria, ZnONps