Combination therapy using metal nanoparticles for skin infections

Abstract

Nowadays skin infections have emerged as a serious health problem worldwide. Over the years research has been conducted to develop new therapeutic agents for the treatment and prevention of various skin infections. Frequent use of conventional antibiotics and drugs increases multi-drug resistance. Therefore, it requires a continuous need for newer and more effective therapies. Nanotechnology is the most promising and novel area in the field of medicine for safe and targeted drug delivery to combat various skin infections. Nanomaterials especially metallic nanoparticles are increasingly utilized in dermatology and cosmetology due to their unique properties such as small size, shape, and high surface-area-to-volume ratio. Metallic nanoparticles have the ability to interact with the cell membrane and cell wall of the pathogens and can easily penetrate into the skin. Therefore, metal-based nanoparticles can effectively combine with conventional drugs to develop successful combination therapies. The aim of this chapter is to describe the combination therapy of metallic nanoparticles for the treatment of various skin infections.