Advances in micro/nanodrug delivery systems for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection: From diagnosis to eradication

About half of the global population is infected with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Due to the high adaptability of H. pylori and the low targeting specificity of traditional drug therapies, H. pylori is becoming increasingly resistant to commercially available antibacterial drugs. Consequently, eradicating H. pylori infection has become challenging. Drug delivery systems based on micro/nanomaterials with properties such as mucus penetration, H. pylori targeting, and stimulus-responsive controlled drug release have been extensively developed. These systems have significantly improved drug bioavailability. Micro/nanotechnology-mediated drug preparation has become a new strategy for treating H. pylori infections. This paper reviews recent applications of pharmaceutical preparations based on micro/nanocarriers (e.g., microspheres, microbeads, hydrogels, metallic nanoparticles, liposomes, polymer nanoparticles, and micelles) in the diagnosis and treatment of H. pylori infection, focusing on their conceptual design, preparation process, and therapeutic effect. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of micro/nanoscale pharmaceutical preparations have been objectively evaluated.