Targeting cGAS-STING signaling to overcome antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections: Challenges and opportunities.

exploit cGAS-STING signaling to suppress host immunity or trigger damaging hyperinflammatory responses. This highlights the dual nature of the cGAS-STING pathway in bacterial infections. STING agonists may enhance immune responses against persistent infections, and STING inhibitors can mitigate excessive inflammation caused by resistant pathogens. Targeting the cGAS-STING pathway represents a host-directed therapy that modulates host immunity rather than targeting pathogens. Understanding the interplay between cGAS-STING signaling and antibiotic resistance mechanisms is essential for developing next-generation immunotherapeutics to complement conventional antibacterial treatments.