Synergistic effects between metal nanoparticles and commercial antimicrobial agents: a review

• Autor(a) principal: Ribeiro, Ana Isabel Ferreira
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Dias, Alice Maria, Zille, Andrea
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: https://hdl.handle.net/1822/76434
• topic: Antimicrobial agents; Metal nanoparticles; Synergism; Antivirus; Antifungals; Antibiotics; Engenharia e Tecnologia::Engenharia dos Materiais; Science & Technology

Nanotechnology has expanded into a broad range of clinical applications. In particular, metal nanoparticles (MNPs) display unique antimicrobial properties, a fundamental function of novel medical devices. The combination of MNPs with commercial antimicrobial drugs (e.g., antibiotics, antifungals, and antivirals) may offer several opportunities to overcome some disadvantages of their individual use and enhance effectiveness. MNP conjugates display multiple advantages. As drug delivery systems, the conjugates can extend the circulation of the drugs in the body, facilitate intercellular targeting, improve drug stabilization, and possess superior delivery. Concomitantly, they reduce the required drug dose, minimize toxicity, and broaden the antimicrobial spectrum. In this work, the common strategies to combine MNPs with clinically used antimicrobial agents are underscored. Furthermore, a comprehensive survey about synergistic antimicrobial effects, the mechanism of action, and cytotoxicity is depicted.