Metal and metal oxide nanostructures applied as alternatives of antibiotics

Present review article would take you on a special voyage of nanotechnology at the end of which the readers would have the knowledge about the role played by nanotechnology in the antimicrobial field. As far as microbes are concerned, they exist on earth for more than two billion years and have lived even under harsh and severe environmental conditions. Advances in the medical field have introduced antibiotics and vaccines as a gift to the mankind to reduce the human sufferings caused because of the microbes. However, with the advent of time microbes developed resistance against the antibiotics and updated versions of microbes came into existence and thereby eroded effectiveness of the antibiotics. So, same type of antibiotic medicine is not suitable for a particular microbe over a period of time. The use of antibiotics therefore is having economic and health impacts on human life. With the introduction of nanotechnology by Feynman, material scientists come out with an innovative breakthrough of using nanoparticles against microbial infections. This has so far being very effective and economical alternative for the conventional antibiotics. The nanoparticles act as potential broad spectrum antibiotic agents. Metal and metal oxides nanoparticles are the two main classes of nanoparticles that are extensively being used as antimicrobial agents. Among various metal nanoparticles, Au and Ag are the most effective.