Nanotherapeutics: Future Medicine For Infectious Diseases

Infectious diseases are increasingly becoming a major health concern annually afflicting millions of humans worldwide. Presently, the greatest challenge to any successful effective treatment of a particular pathogen is the emergence of drugresistance, less bioavailability and non-specificity of potent antibiotics at the target sites, requiring large doses of medicine over a longer period of time, resulting in maximum toxicity to patients. However, drug delivery is a powerful concept in nanomedicine which is constantly growing at a burgeoning pace, could provide an efficient alternative to target any pathogens at any site in the body using advanced combined nanoparticle platforms or nanocarriers with fewer side effects. Significantly, nanotherapeutics could be administered through various specific routes such as oral, parenteral, and topical for effective treatment.

In summary, this chapter would highlight the role of targeted antibiotics as an advancement of future nanomedicine over conventional therapeutics against virulent infectious diseases.

Keywords: Antimicrobial, Bioavailability, Biofilm, Infection, Metallic, Nanoparticles, Photodynamic therapy, Photothermal therapy, Resistance, Targeted.