Antiviral and Antimicrobial Potentiality of Nano Drugs

Abstract

Despite different existing potential antimicrobial agents, microbial (bacterial and viral) infections are still an important challenge to the pharmaceutical industry today. Therefore, it is required to develop another bactericidal route to destroy some microorganisms that have become resistant toward antibiotics and antiviral infections. Accordingly, attention is concentrating especially on novel as well as emerging nanotechnology-based materials in the field of antimicrobial therapy. This chapter discusses the antimicrobial activities of numerous nanoparticles such as carbon-based nanoparticles like carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, graphene oxides, and metallic nanoparticles together with polymeric chitosan nanoparticles as an antimicrobial agent, their mode of action, nanoparticle effect on drug-resistant bacteria, and the risks attendant with their use as antimicrobial agents to tissues of human cells. The importance of metallic nanoparticles such as silver nanoparticles as an antiviral agent was also investigated. © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.