Reversing Antibiotic Resistance: Strategies From Adjuvants to Innovative Therapeutics

TL;DR

This paper explores new strategies to reverse antibiotic resistance by enhancing existing antibiotics and using innovative technologies like CRISPR.

Contribution

The paper introduces molecular reversal strategies and innovative technologies to combat antibiotic resistance.

Findings

Molecular reversal strategies inhibit resistance gene function and block horizontal gene transfer.

Technologies like CRISPR-Cas and nanotechnology show promise in restoring antibiotic efficacy.

Abstract

The escalating prevalence of antibiotic resistance has become a major threat to the effectiveness of conventional antibiotics. Meanwhile, the development of novel antibiotics faces substantial challenges, including lengthy research cycles, high costs, and the rapid emergence of bacterial tolerance, making it difficult for new drugs to keep pace with bacterial evolution. In this context, molecular reversal strategies targeting antibiotic resistance genes have emerged as a promising avenue to overcome this impasse. Among them, the use of antibiotic adjuvants, agents that enhance the efficacy of existing antibiotics by inhibiting resistance gene function, preventing their horizontal transfer or modulating host defense has gained considerable attention. Furthermore, innovative approaches such as CRISPR‐Cas gene editing, photodynamic therapy, nanotechnology, and ecological competition strategies have shown great potential in reversing antimicrobial resistance. Collectively, these strategies offer novel insights into addressing the global crisis of antibiotic resistance, paving the way for more effective clinical interventions and ensuring the sustained efficacy of current antibiotic therapies.

Molecular reversal strategies against antibiotic resistance act through three mechanisms: inhibiting resistance gene function, blocking horizontal gene transfer, and modulating host defense. Emerging technologies, such as CRISPR‐Cas gene editing, photodynamic therapy, nanotechnology, and ecological competition, further strengthen these approaches, offering innovative solutions to restore antibiotic efficacy.

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