Sulfur and sulfur nanoparticles as potential antimicrobials: from traditional medicine to nanomedicine.

Sulfur and sulfur nanoparticles as potential antimicrobials: from traditional medicine to nanomedicine. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2016 Aug 5; Authors: Rai M, Ingle AP, Paralikar P Abstract INTRODUCTION: The alarming rate of infections caused by various pathogens and development of their resistance towards a large number of antimicrobial agents has generated an essential need to search for novel and effective antimicrobial agents. Metal nanoparticles such as silver have been widely used and accepted as strong antimicrobial agents, but considering the cost effectiveness and significant bioactivities, researchers are looking to utilize sulfur nanoparticles as an effective alternative to silver nanoparticles. AREAS COVERED: This review has been focused on different approaches for the synthesis of sulfur nanoparticles, their broad spectrum activities and possible mechanisms involved in their bioactivities. Expert commentary: Sulfur nanoparticles are reported to possess broad spectrum antimicrobial activity, and hence can be used to treat microbial infections and potentially tackle the problem of resistance. Thus, in the future, sulfur nanoparticles could be used as an effective, non-toxic and economically viable alternative to other precious metal nanoparticles. PMID: 27494175 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Expert Review of Anti-Infective Therapy - Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther Source Type: research