Nanoparticles as antibiotic-delivery vehicles (ADVs) overcome resistance by MRSA and other MDR bacterial pathogens: The grenade hypothesis.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine how the concentrated delivery of less effective antibiotics, such as the β-lactam penicillin G, by linkage to nanoparticles (NPs), could influence the killing efficiency against various pathogenic bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other multidrug resistant (MDR) strains.

Methods: The β-lactam antibiotic penicillin G (PenG) was passively sorbed to fluorescent polystyrene NPs (20nm) that were surface-functionalized with carboxylic acid (COO-NPs) or sulfate groups (SO-NPs) to form a PenG-NP complex. Antimicrobial activities of PenG-NPs were evaluated against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, including antibiotic resistant strains.