Metal-Based Nanoparticles as Antimicrobial Agents: A Review

Antibiotic abuse has become a rising public health concern in recent years, leading to dangerous bacteria developing antibiotic resistance to most antibiotic medicines currently in use. Traditional antimicrobial medications have been helpful in the early stages of treating numerous forms of serious bacterial infectious diseases; however, despite the significant therapeutic benefit, there are a number of issues with follow-up treatment. Metal-based nanomaterials, which have properties including the difficulty of establishing drug resistance and the advantages of reduced cytotoxicity, have been considered promising antimicrobial substances. This review discusses the most important types of metal-based nanoparticles (MNPs), such as copper, titanium, zinc oxide, etc., with a focus on the antimicrobial applications of gold- and silver-based nanoparticles. Furthermore, the advanced research progress of MNPs as antimicrobial agents and the stimuli-responsive metal nanoparticle antimicrobial strategies working under photothermal, magnetic, and pH stimulation are also summarized in this article. In general, with the advancement of technology, antimicrobial materials based on MNPs will offer excellent prospects for improving drug resistance and antimicrobial applications.