Polymer-Based Nanotechnology to Combat the Emergence of Drug Resistance in Bacteria

Multidrug-resistant bacteria are posing a great threat to human beings. To address that challenge, polymer-based nanomaterials have come into the spotlight recently. Polymers have a great variety in chemical compositions, structures, and physicochemical properties, which offer great possibilities in combating drug resistance in bacteria. On one hand, cationic polymers can cause damage to the bacterial cell membrane by mimicking the natural defense antimicrobial peptides. On the other hand, polymers can be applied to construct various nanocarriers, such as polymeric micelles, polymersomes, nanogels, and dendrimers, to overcome the barriers in antibiotic delivery, enable the interaction of nanocarriers with bacteria, enrich the therapeutics around bacteria, thereby enhancing the antimicrobial efficacy of conventional antibiotics, yet minimizing their side effects on normal tissues. In this chapter, we try to outline the recent advances in polymers that have been applied in eradicating bacteria, especially bacteria in their biofilm mode of growth.