Nanotechnology in the fight against antimicrobial resistance: Mechanisms, innovations, and future directions

The review addresses the critical global health issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and explores the potential of nanotechnology in developing effective antimicrobial strategies. In spite of the tremendous advancements in contemporary medicine and antimicrobial treatment, infectious illnesses produced by harmful bacteria continue to pose serious hazards to worldwide public health. Early in the 20th century, the discovery of antibiotics transformed medicine and significantly decreased the death rates linked to bacterial illnesses. It examines the synthesis methodologies, physicochemical properties, and mechanisms of action of antimicrobial nanomaterials, noting the advantages of both top-down (e.g., laser ablation, lithography) and bottom-up (e.g., biological synthesis) approaches. The review emphasizes that nanoscale materials possess unique properties that enhance their effectiveness against resistant pathogens through various mechanisms such as membrane disruption and oxidative stress. Additionally, it highlights applications of these nanomaterials in drug delivery, gene therapy, biosensing, cancer detection, water treatment, and medical device coatings.