International Journal of Nanomedicine (Jun 2021)
Recent Advances Toward the Use of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for the Treatment of Bacterial Infections
Abstract
Rafael R Castillo,1 María Vallet-Regí1– 3 1Dpto. Química en Ciencias Farmacéuticas, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, 28040, Spain; 2Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red—CIBER, Madrid, 28029, Spain; 3Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre—imas12, Madrid, 28041, SpainCorrespondence: Rafael R Castillo; María Vallet-Regໝpto. Química en Ciencias Farmacéuticas, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Plaza Ramón y Cajal s/n, Madrid, 28040, SpainTel +34 91 394 1843Email [email protected]; [email protected]: It is a fact that the use of antibiotics is inducing a growing resistance on bacteria. This situation is not only the consequence of a drugs’ misuse, but a direct consequence of a widespread and continuous use. Current studies suggest that this effect could be reversed by using abandoned antibiotics to which bacteria have lost their resistance, but this is only a temporary solution that in near future would lead to new resistance problems. Fortunately, current nanotechnology offers a new life for old and new antibiotics, which could have significantly different pharmacokinetics when properly delivered; enabling new routes able to bypass acquired resistances. In this contribution, we will focus on the use of porous silica nanoparticles as functional carriers for the delivery of antibiotics and biocides in combination with additional features like membrane sensitizing and heavy metal-driven metabolic-disrupting therapies as two of the most interesting combination therapies.Keywords: mesoporous silica, bacteria, infection, combination therapy, drug delivery
