About this Research Topic
Antimicrobial resistance has been a major public health concern that increases the therapy costs and mortality rates in serious infections. The intensive use of antimicrobials and horizontal gene transfer mediated by mobile genetic elements are driving the appearance of resistance to antimicrobials. Moreover, the post-antibiotics era has reached a bottleneck where few antimicrobials are available against multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections, and the discovery of new antibiotics has substantially diminished. Thus, there is rapid, growing demand for developing novel approaches to treat and prevent infections caused by MDR microorganisms.
Nanotechnology represents a promising alternative to create efficient systems for eradicating, controlling and preventing MDR infections, and in the last few years its applications increased exponentially within medical, farming, food, environmental and materials areas. Its uses include the design of nanostructured materials and surface coatings with antimicrobial activity, creation of nanocarriers that promote sustained release and/or augment antimicrobials’ efficiency, development of carriers for vaccine delivery, and synthesis of systems that can inhibit bacterial biofilms formation. A range of different systems have been employed for these goals, and include metallic and polymeric nanoparticles, cyclodextrins, nanostructured films and coatings, dendrimers, liposomes and solid lipid nanoparticles. The nanostructured matrices’ physical-chemical properties (particle size, shape, Zeta potential and others) and method of preparation/synthesis have major implications in both the interaction with the microorganism itself as well as bioavailability, biocompatibility and biodegradation of the system. The fine tuning of these nanostructured systems’ properties can create powerful alternative approaches that potentially offer several advantages over the conventional therapies, which include increased antimicrobial efficiency, fine control of drug release over extended periods of time, by passing of MDR and low host toxicity.
Due to the potential of nanotechnology as an alternative to both improve currently existing therapies and create novel approaches to tackle serious infections and MDR microorganisms, we invite submissions of Original Research papers, Reviews, or Mini-Reviews focusing on the synthesis, applications and mechanistic aspects of nanomaterials with antimicrobial activity.
This Research Topic’s scope includes:
- Metallic, polymeric and lipid-based nanocarriers for antimicrobials delivery.
- Nanostructured films and coatings with antimicrobial activity.
- Nanocarriers for vaccines delivery.
- Nanostructured systems with activity against MDR bacteria and fungi.
- Specific microorganism-targeting nanoparticles.
- Nanoparticles for detection of MDR in patients, food and water supplies.
- Nanoparticles against microbial biofilms.
Nanotechnology represents a promising alternative to create efficient systems for eradicating, controlling and preventing MDR infections, and in the last few years its applications increased exponentially within medical, farming, food, environmental and materials areas. Its uses include the design of nanostructured materials and surface coatings with antimicrobial activity, creation of nanocarriers that promote sustained release and/or augment antimicrobials’ efficiency, development of carriers for vaccine delivery, and synthesis of systems that can inhibit bacterial biofilms formation. A range of different systems have been employed for these goals, and include metallic and polymeric nanoparticles, cyclodextrins, nanostructured films and coatings, dendrimers, liposomes and solid lipid nanoparticles. The nanostructured matrices’ physical-chemical properties (particle size, shape, Zeta potential and others) and method of preparation/synthesis have major implications in both the interaction with the microorganism itself as well as bioavailability, biocompatibility and biodegradation of the system. The fine tuning of these nanostructured systems’ properties can create powerful alternative approaches that potentially offer several advantages over the conventional therapies, which include increased antimicrobial efficiency, fine control of drug release over extended periods of time, by passing of MDR and low host toxicity.
Due to the potential of nanotechnology as an alternative to both improve currently existing therapies and create novel approaches to tackle serious infections and MDR microorganisms, we invite submissions of Original Research papers, Reviews, or Mini-Reviews focusing on the synthesis, applications and mechanistic aspects of nanomaterials with antimicrobial activity.
This Research Topic’s scope includes:
- Metallic, polymeric and lipid-based nanocarriers for antimicrobials delivery.
- Nanostructured films and coatings with antimicrobial activity.
- Nanocarriers for vaccines delivery.
- Nanostructured systems with activity against MDR bacteria and fungi.
- Specific microorganism-targeting nanoparticles.
- Nanoparticles for detection of MDR in patients, food and water supplies.
- Nanoparticles against microbial biofilms.
Keywords: Nanoparticles, inhibition, nanocarrier, target, biofilm
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
