Synergistic combinations of metal, metal oxide, or metalloid nanoparticles plus antibiotics against resistant and non-resistant bacteria

The emergence of drug resistance in pathogenic bacteria due to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics is a major challenge to global public health. Therefore, improved and more effective antibacterial agents are urgently needed as alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Nanotechnology-based approaches can take advantage of the nano–bacteria interface to improve microbial killing both in vitro in and in vivo. In this way, modified metal or metal oxide nanoparticles combined with antibiotics could be a novel class of antibacterial agents with synergistic effects against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This review discusses recent advances in the synthesis and functionalization of these nanomaterials, and considers their advantages and disadvantages.