Journal of Antimicrobial Agents

The rise of antimicrobial resistance has emerged as a significant global health crisis, threatening the efficacy of existing antibiotics and leading to an urgent need for innovative strategies to combat bacterial infections. Nanotechnology, the science of manipulating materials at the nanoscale, offers promising solutions to enhance antimicrobial efficacy. Through the development of nanoparticles, nanostructured materials, and nanocarriers, researchers are exploring novel approaches to improve the delivery, potency, and selectivity of antimicrobial agents. This article delves into the role of nanotechnology in enhancing antimicrobial efficacy, focusing on the mechanisms by which nanomaterials overcome resistance, their applications in various fields, and the challenges and future prospects of this rapidly evolving technology. Nanoparticles possess unique physicochemical properties that differentiate them from bulk materials, including increased surface area, enhanced reactivity, and the ability to interact with biological systems at the molecular level. These properties make nanoparticles highly effective as antimicrobial agents. Metal-based nanoparticles, such as silver, gold, zinc oxide, and titanium dioxide, are among the most extensively studied for their antimicrobial activity.

Antimicrobial peptides have garnered significant attention as promising agents in the fight against multidrug-resistant bacteria. These naturally occurring molecules, part of the innate immune system across various species, exhibit potent activity against a wide range of pathogens, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and even cancer cells. The growing threat of antibiotic resistance has spurred interest in AMPs due to their unique mechanisms of action, broad-spectrum efficacy, and lower propensity for resistance development. However, despite their potential, AMPs face several challenges that must be addressed to fully harness their therapeutic capabilities. AMPs are typically short peptides composed of 10 to 50 amino acids, characterized by their amphipathic structure and positive charge. These structural features enable AMPs to interact with the negatively charged components of microbial membranes, such as phospholipids and lipopolysaccharides.

The vast and largely unexplored marine environment represents a rich source of bioactive compounds with significant antimicrobial potential. Marine organisms, ranging from microorganisms to macroalgae and invertebrates, have evolved unique chemical defense mechanisms to survive in diverse and competitive habitats. These adaptations have led to the production of a wide array of secondary metabolites with potent antimicrobial properties. The growing threat of multidrug-resistant pathogens and the diminishing efficacy of traditional antibiotics have intensified the search for novel antimicrobial agents from marine sources. This exploration holds promise for discovering new drugs that can combat resistant infections and expand our arsenal of antimicrobial therapies. Marine-derived bioactive compounds are characterized by their structural diversity and novel modes of action, which differentiate them from terrestrial natural products and synthetic antibiotics. The unique conditions of the marine environment, such as high pressure, varying temperatures, and distinct ecological interactions, drive the biosynthesis of these compounds.

Antimicrobial resistance presents one of the most critical challenges to global health, as the ability of microorganisms to withstand treatment with antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics threatens the effectiveness of standard therapies. The alarming rise of AMR has spurred significant research into innovative approaches to combat this phenomenon. This comprehensive review explores various groundbreaking strategies being developed to overcome antimicrobial resistance, focusing on novel antibiotics, antimicrobial peptides, bacteriophage therapy, microbiome modulation, nanotechnology, and the utilization of artificial intelligence in drug discovery. Furthermore, phages can be genetically modified to enhance their bactericidal activity or to carry additional genes that degrade bacterial resistance mechanisms. Clinical trials and case studies have demonstrated the potential of phage therapy in treating infections that do not respond to conventional antibiotics, highlighting its promise as a tool against AMR.