Development of Nanoemulsion-Based Drug Carrier Molecules in the Fight Against Multi-Drug Resistance

Microbial agents develop selection pressure against various therapies due to long-term monotherapy, misdiagnosis, and over-prescription of powerful drugs reversed for urgent and critical clinical conditions. Eventually, this leads to the emergence and dissemination of drug-resistant pathogens that give rise to a wide array of clinical manifestations that are unresponsive to conventional antimicrobial drugs. Devastatingly, this has far-reaching implications in healthcare facilities across the globe due to rapid proliferation and transmission of the drug-resistant mutant strains and associated medical conditions. In the recent past, combination therapy has been applied as a strategy to treat diseases caused by drug-resistant microbes. This method relies on the use of therapeutic agents that target different essential biomarkers that promote microbial virulence, replication, and transmission. Although this method is largely successful, the major limitation accompanying administration of combination therapy is increased off-target effects and toxicity. Consequently, drug-carrier molecules such as nanoemulsions, metal, cationic, and polymer-based nanoparticles have been designed to facilitate efficient delivery of therapeutic agents into target cells. Advantages of using these carrier molecules include protection of the therapeutic payload against enzymatic degradation, increased circulation of drugs in target cells, and prolonged therapeutic activity. These desirable properties advance their use in vitro and in vivo owing to their diversity and versatility. Notably, the present book chapter will specifically evaluate the use of nanoemulsions in combating multi-drug-resistant microorganisms.