Antimicrobial properties of silica modified nanoparticles

CAMPOROTONDI DANIELA EDHIT; FOGLIA M LUCIA; ALVAREZ GISELA SOLANGE; MEBERT ANDREA MATHILDE; DIAZ LE; CORADIN THIBAUD; DESIMONE MARTIN FEDERICO

Microbial pathogens and strategies for combating them: science, technology and education

Formatex Research Center

Año: 2013; p. 283 - 290

Nowadays, antibiotics resistance is one of the most important worldwide healthcare problems. Different causes are associated to this phenomenon, such as overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics, including second- and third-generation cephalosporins which greatly hasten the development of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Other factors contributing towards resistance include incorrect diagnosis, unnecessary prescriptions, improper use of antibiotics by patients and unfinished antibiotic prescription. As a result, multiple drug resistance has appeared, connected to hospital-associated infections and biofilm formation. The ability of certain strains of bacteria to withstand the effects of common antibiotics has led to find a strategy for the treatment of infections associated to antimicrobial resistance and biofilm development in affected patients. The application of nanoparticles containing antibiotics results in a plenty of advantages. As the antibiotic is held into the nanoparticle, chemical composition and modifications on the NP?s surface enable to prolong, localize, target and have a protected drug interaction with the diseased tissue. In this way, higher concentrations are attained in the targeted cells, managing to reduce the frequency of the dosages taken, reducing the drug side effects and fluctuation in circulating levels, improving the overall pharmacokinetics. Other benefits of this type of drug delivery systems applied to antibiotic therapy are the reduction of the antimicrobial resistance, the enhancement of the solubility and the widener therapeutic index. A large variety of nanomaterials for efficient antibiotic drug delivery have been developed and their efficacy has been demonstrated. Due to high thermal and chemical stability, high surface area and good biocompatibility, silica nanoparticles are a good option to deliver drugs such as antibiotics [1, 2]. In addition, they are a very versatile material as it is possible to prepare silica nanoparticles in a variety of forms and sizes, they are easily surface- modified and they can be obtain from relatively cheap precursors. In this chapter, we will discuss about the use of silica nanosized particles and silica modified nanoparticles loaded with antimicrobial agents for diverse applications.