Title:Novel Nanotherapeutics as Next-generation Anti-infective Agents: Current Trends and Future Prospectives
VOLUME: 17 ISSUE: 4
Author(s):Pattnaik Subhaswaraj, Asad Syed and Busi Siddhardha*
Affiliation:Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry-605 014, Botany and Microbiology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. 2455, Riyadh 11451, Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry-605 014
Keywords:Antimicrobials, anti-infectives, biofilm, MDR, nanotechnology, quorum sensing.
Abstract:With the ever-increasing population and improvement in the healthcare system in the 21st century,
the incidence of chronic microbial infections and associated health disorders has also increased at a
striking pace. The ability of pathogenic microorganisms to form biofilm matrix aggravates the situation
due to antibiotic resistance phenomenon resulting in resistance against conventional antibiotic therapy
which has become a public health concern. The canonical Quorum Sensing (QS) signaling system hierarchically
regulates the expression of an array of virulence phenotypes and controls the development of biofilm
dynamics. It is imperative to develop an alternative, yet effective and non-conventional therapeutic
approach, popularly known as “anti-infective therapy” which seems to be interesting. In this regard, targeting
microbial QS associated virulence and biofilm development proves to be a quite astonishing approach
in counteracting the paucity of traditional antibiotics. A number of synthetic and natural compounds are
exploited for their efficacy in combating QS associated microbial infections but the bioavailability and biocompatibility
limit their widespread applications. In this context, the nanotechnological intervention offers
a new paradigm for widespread biomedical applications starting from targeted drug delivery to diagnostics
for the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases, particularly to fight against microbial infections
and antibiotics resistance in biofilms. A wide range of nanomaterials ranging from metallic nanoparticles
to polymeric nanoparticles and recent advances in the development of carbon-based nanomaterials
such as Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs), Graphene Oxide (GO) also immensely exhibited intrinsic antiinfective
properties when targeted towards microbial infections and associated MDR phenomenon. In addition,
the use of nano-based platforms as carriers emphatically increases the efficacy of targeted and sitespecific
delivery of potential drug candidates for preventing microbial infections.
