Conducting Polymer-Based Nanocomposites Against Pathogenic Bacteria

Abstract

Conducting polymers are polymers with a network of free electrons and hence, can conduct electricity. Nanomaterials doped conducting polymers are generally referred to as conducting polymer nanocomposites. These nanocomposites have recently emerged as pivotal alternatives in the drug delivery and therapy of infectious diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria. Bacterial infections are one of the leading contributors in high rate of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Furthermore, the emergence of multi-drug resistance in pathogenic bacteria has worsened the disease burden. Albeit the advances in antimicrobial therapy, the success in development of new antibiotics have been limited. Recently, a variety of nanocomposites based on nitrogen-containing conducting polymers including polyaniline (PANI), polypyrrole (PPy) and polycarbazole (PC) as well as sulphur-containing conducting polymers including polythiophene (PT) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), have been investigated as antibacterial platforms against pathogenic bacteria. Among nanoparticles, the most widely used metals include gold, silver, palladium, copper, titanium oxide, zinc oxide and iron oxide. However, the exact mechanism of their antibacterial activity is not completely understood. It is evident from some studies that conducting polymers-based nanocomposites are biocompatible materials making them ideal candidates for drug development against infectious diseases. Moreover, conducting polymers and their nanocomposites have also been used to study antibacterial activity. All in all, at present, the use of conducting polymer-based nanocomposites against bacterial infections has not been studied extensively. In this chapter we will summarize the recent reports of uses of conducting polymer-based nanocomposites for the therapy of pathogenic bacteria and will also identify the research gaps in this field. Furthermore, we will also propose a future perspective to overcome existing limitations and suggest some possible solutions based on our expertise. This chapter in our opinion, will benefit the researchers working in the field of nanomedicine as well as antimicrobials, and will be of high value to students, clinicians and pharmaceutical sectors.KeywordsConducting polymersNanocompositesNanomaterialsAntibacterialMulti-drug resistance