Use of Nanoparticles in the Healthcare Industry for Antimicrobial Effects

Due to the inappropriate and overuse of antibiotics in different sectors, such as healthcare systems, food processing units, and dairy farms, in the past few decades, antibiotic resistance has arisen as a major threat to humankind as well as to animals. Superbugs like Enterobacteriaceae sp., Staphylococcus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Acinetobacter, and E. coli show broad-spectrum antibiotic resistance and cause millions of deaths per year. By 2050, there are predictions of ten million deaths per year due to infection by multidrug-resistant microbes. Over a few decades, the introduction of nanosystems and their application in healthcare and the development of healthcare products have given nanobiotechnology an edge over conventional antibiotics and healthcare products. Nanobiotechnology is a branch of science that works on the combined principle of nanotechnology and molecular biology. Broadly divided into five major classes of metal, ceramics, lipids, polymeric, and semiconductor nanoparticles, these nanostructures have applications in various healthcare sectors including gene therapy, drug delivery, cardiac and brain disease treatment, cancer diagnosis and treatment, treatment of genetic disorders, CNS disorders treatment, and much more. This chapter provides details on various nanoparticles and their mode of action. The diagnostic and therapeutic applications of nanobiotechnology in the healthcare industry as well as in industrial use along with prospects of undergoing advancements in this field can help in the development of potential healthcare-based products. Here, we also discussed the recent scientific research on antimicrobial–antifungal–antiviral activity, antibiofilm activity, anticancer activity, drug delivery systems, and food technology systems to establish the potential of nano-systems in the advancement of healthcare and industrial sector.