Issue 10, 2023

Amphiphilic dendrimers against antibiotic resistance: light at the end of the tunnel?

Abstract

With the alarming and prevailing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) comes an urgent need for novel antimicrobial agents that are not only effective and robust but also do not induce resistance development. Amphiphilic dendrimers are emerging as a promising new paradigm to combat bacterial AMR. They can mimic antimicrobial peptides to produce potent antibacterial activity yet with a low likelihood of generating resistance. In addition, they are stable against enzymatic degradation thanks to their unique dendritic architecture. Importantly, these amphiphilic dendrimers are composed of distinct hydrophobic and hydrophilic entities bearing dendritic structures, which can be precisely designed and synthesized to optimize the hydrophobic–hydrophilic balance yielding potent antibacterial activity while minimizing adverse effects and drug resistance. In this short review, we present the challenges and current state of research in developing amphiphilic dendrimers as new antibiotic substitutes. We start with a brief overview of the advantages and opportunities associated with using amphiphilic dendrimers to combat bacterial AMR. We then outline the specific considerations and the mechanisms underlying the antibacterial activity of amphiphilic dendrimers. We focus on the importance of the amphiphilic nature of a dendrimer that balances hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity via gauging the hydrophobic entity and the dendrimer generation, branching unit, terminal group and charge to allow high antibacterial potency and selectivity while minimizing toxicity. Finally, we present the future challenges and perspectives for amphiphilic dendrimers as antibacterial candidates for combating AMR.

Graphical abstract: Amphiphilic dendrimers against antibiotic resistance: light at the end of the tunnel?

Article information

Article type
Minireview
Submitted
15 noy 2022
Accepted
16 fev 2023
First published
22 fev 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Biomater. Sci., 2023,11, 3379-3393

Amphiphilic dendrimers against antibiotic resistance: light at the end of the tunnel?

C. Galanakou, D. Dhumal and L. Peng, Biomater. Sci., 2023, 11, 3379 DOI: 10.1039/D2BM01878K

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements