Title:Mechanism of Action: How Nano-Antimicrobials Act?
Volume: 18
Issue: 3
Author(s): Bushra Jamil, Habib Bokhari and Mohammad Imran
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Nano-antibiotics, multi drug resistance, nanoparticles, nano carrier systems, mode of action, reactive oxygen species
(ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS).
Abstract: Escalating resistance to almost every class of antibiotics is reducing the utility of currently
available antimicrobial drugs. A part of this menace is attributed to poor pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
of the drug. Improvement in drug delivery is the most challenging task encountered by the
pharmaceutical industries; however nanotechnology can bring a revolution in drug delivery design.
Nano-antimicrobials (NAMs) have their own intrinsic antimicrobial activity (nanoparticles) or augment
overall efficacy of enclosed antibiotics (nano-carriers), thus contribute in mitigating or reversing the resistance
phenomenon. Nano-particles (NPs) having their own intrinsic antimicrobial activity kill microbes
by mimicking natural course of killing by phagocytic cells i.e., by producing large quantity of
Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and Reactive Nitrogen Species (RNS). It is believed that NPs kill microbes
by simultaneously acting on many essential life processes or metabolic routes of microbes; that
as many genetic mutations to develop resistance against them seems to be impossible. Nano carriers
improve the pharmacokinetics of the enclosed drug. Moreover, one of the major techniques by which
NAMs can overcome resistance is targeted drug delivery to the site of disease. In this review, a comprehensive
detail about the mechanism of action of NAMs are presented in context to multi drug resistance
phenomenon.
