Antibacterial nanomaterials: Mechanisms, impacts on antimicrobial resistance and design principles

Abstract

Antimicrobialresistance(AMR)is one of the biggestthreatsto the environmentand health.AMR rapidlyinvalidatesconventionalantibiotics,and antimicrobialnanomaterialshave been increasinglyexploredas alternatives.Interestingly,severalantimicrobialnanomaterialsshow AMR-independentantimicrobialeffects withoutdetectablenewresistanceand have thereforebeen suggestedto preventAMR evolution.In contrast,some are found to trigger theevolutionof AMR. Given these seeminglyconflictingfindings,a timely discussionof the two faces of antimicrobialnanomaterialsis urgentlyneeded.This reviewsystematicallycomparesthe killing mechanismsand structure-activityrelationshipsof antibioticsand antimicrobialnanomaterials.We then focus on nano-microbeinteractionsto elucidatethe impactsof molecularinitiatingevents on AMR evolution.Finally,we providean outlookon future antimicrobialnanomaterialsand proposedesign principlesfor the preventionof AMR evolution.