Nano-Antibiotics for treatment of urinary tract infections
The fact that bacteria are smart enough to gain antibiotic resistance and prevent efficient therapy, is underestimated. A combination of old-fashioned antibiotics with nanoparticle-based approaches is one of the alternative options to sufficiently treat resistant infections.
The resistance rate of ciprofloxacin, being one of the most commonly prescribed antibiotic for urinary tract infections, is high and this causes persisting infections, thus limiting the therapy. In a recent study we conducted in KUISCID (funded by TÜBİTAK, Project No: 118S547), we designed an iron oxide nanoparticle-based cargo system to carry antibiotics to infection sites and obtained efficient bacterial inhibition. Mannoside molecules within the cargo, specifically targeted the bacterial wall for a more localized release of antibiotic. Our results are promising regarding the novel approaches for the treatment of urinary tract infections, especially caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.