Unleashing the promise of emerging nanomaterials as a sustainable platform to mitigate antimicrobial resistance

Abstract

The emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant (AR) bacterial strains and biofilm-associated diseases have heightened concerns about exploring alternative bactericidal methods. The WHO estimates that at least 700 000 deaths yearly are attributable to antimicrobial resistance, and that number could increase to 10 million annual deaths by 2050 if appropriate measures are not taken. Therefore, the increasing threat of AR bacteria and biofilm-related infections has created an urgent demand for scientific research to identify novel antimicrobial therapies. Nanomaterials (NMs) have emerged as a promising alternative due to their unique physicochemical properties, and ongoing research holds great promise for developing effective NMs-based treatments for bacterial and viral infections. This review aims to provide an in-depth analysis of NMs based mechanisms combat bacterial infections, particularly those caused by acquired antibiotic resistance. Furthermore, this review examines NMs design features and attributes that can be optimized to enhance their efficacy as antimicrobial agents. In addition, plant-based NMs have emerged as promising alternatives to traditional antibiotics for treating multidrug-resistant bacterial infections due to their reduced toxicity compared to other NMs. The potential of plant mediated NMs for preventing AR is also discussed. Overall, this review emphasizes the importance of understanding the properties and mechanisms of NMs for the development of effective strategies against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Fig. 1. Antimicrobial inorganic nanoparticles and their uses (Reprinted from by permission of the Taylor & Francis Ltd, https://www.tandfonline.com/).

Fig. 2. (a) Antibiotic mechanism of action, and (b) antibiotic resistance mechanisms in bacteria (Reprinted with permission from, An Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License).

Fig. 3. (a) Intrinsic antibiotic resistance mechanisms (Reprinted by permission from Springer Nature Customer Service Centre GmbH: Springer, Copyright 2015); (b) transmission factors for antimicrobial resistance (Reprinted with permission from, An Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License).

Fig. 4. Representative schematic flowchart of the nanomaterial's classification (Reprinted from with permission from Elsevier).

Fig. 5. Schematic drawing related to the synthesis of nanomaterials (NPs) via top-down and bottom-up approaches (Reprinted from with permission from Elsevier).

Fig. 6. Stages involved in producing gold nanoparticles by chemical reduction (Reprinted from ref. with permission from Elsevier).

Fig. 7. Comparison between some nanobiotics and traditional antibiotics.

Fig. 8. Nanomaterial action mechanisms in bacterial cells (Reprinted with permission from ref. , An open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License).

Fig. 9. Schematic diagram showing cell wall structures of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

Fig. 10. Different parts of the plant are used for extract and mechanism of formation of nanoparticles.

Sazedur Rahman

Somya Sadaf

Md Enamul Hoque

Nabisab Mujawar Mubarak

Guilherme Malafaia

Jagpreet Singh