Current and future prospects of nanoparticles to combat bacterial infections

Bacterial infections are a major public health problem that result high morbidity and mortality. There are several options for antibacterial therapy, however, their efficacies are limited, particularly due to the developing resistance mechanism. In the past decade, a great advance in nanomedicine has shown promise for the treatment of bacterial infection. In the current perspective for medicine application or medical therapies, nanotechnology using nanoscale materials is increasingly being utilized for clinical applications, especially as a new paradigm to combat bacterial infections. The nanoparticles can act as antibacterial agents or carriers for loading antibacterial drugs to promote the bioavailability and effectiveness of antibiotics. Nanoparticles may penetrate the cell membrane of pathogenic microorganisms and interfere with important molecular pathways, formulating unique antimicrobial mechanisms. These particles have also demonstrated synergy in combination with optimal antibiotics and may aid in limiting the global crisis of emerging bacterial resistance. In the current chapter, we have highlighted and summarized the potentially significant impact of nanoparticles as antibacterial agents, the recent progress on the development of antibacterial nanoparticles, and the subsequent approaches and challenges for clinical applications. This chapter offers an overview of the current and future prospects of antibacterial nanosystems.