Nanomedicine to overcome antimicrobial resistance: challenges and prospects

Translation of antibacterial nanoparticles into nanomedicine requires a deep understanding of the dynamic nature of nanoparticles and the ways they overcome immunological and biological barriers. Nanomedicines need prolonged serum stability by proper stealth coating or forming beneficial protein corona, to avoid rapid clearance by the mononuclear phagocytic system. A preferred nanoparticle formulation may include nonimmunogenic carbohydrates, which act both as a stealth coating and ligands of specific endothelium receptors to facilitate nanomedicines crossing the vascular barrier. This may lead to more rapid delivery and accumulation of nanomedicine at the infection site and provide broader and faster clinical responses than targeting specific bacterial surface receptors. Ideally, antibacterial nanomedicines should be able to penetrate biofilms through fusion and/or diffusion for targeted delivery.