Recent insights into actinobacteria research in antimicrobial resistance: a review

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as a global health crisis, taking 4.71 million lives in the year 2021 and posing significant challenges to healthcare systems. Actinobacteria, particularly Streptomyces sp., are a well-established source of bioactive secondary metabolites, including antibiotics such as polyketides, aminoglycosides, and macrolides with activity against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. However, only 10% of the antibiotic genes are expressed, and others are silent in cryptic biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) that remain inactive under standard laboratory conditions. Advances in genome mining, bioinformatics tools like antiSMASH, and molecular techniques such as CRISPR-Cas have facilitated the identification of these clusters. Furthermore, innovative strategies such as co-culturing and HDAC inhibitors have shown promise in activating cryptic biosynthetic pathways to combat emerging antimicrobial resistance. Despite these advancements, the rapid evolution of resistance requires continuous research and global collaboration to ensure a sustainable pipeline of effective antibiotics. This review provides insight into actinobacteria-derived antibiotics, resistance mechanisms, and emerging biotechnological interventions to address the AMR crisis, underscoring the urgent need for multidisciplinary antibiotic discovery and stewardship efforts.