Nanotech meets antibiotics: nucleotide antibiotics delivered by lipid nanoparticles

Abstract

The global spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria poses a serious challenge to effective therapy and public health. The rising resistance to small-molecule antibiotics underscores the limitations of conventional antimicrobial strategies and highlights the urgent need for alternative therapeutic modalities. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have emerged as efficient vehicles for delivering genetic materials, as exemplified by their success in mRNA vaccines. Recent studies suggest that LNPs can also be harnessed to suppress bacterial proliferation and counteract antibiotic resistance through the targeted delivery of nucleic acid cargo. In this review, we discuss recent advances in nanotechnology-based platforms for nucleic acid delivery into prokaryotic systems, with a particular focus on LNPs. We highlight LNPs as a promising delivery system for modulating antimicrobial resistance and bacterial fitness genes. Additionally, we outline key components and formulation strategies required to enable effective nucleic acid delivery against multidrug-resistant bacteria.