Premium Research actively contributed to the development of this article, published in April 2025.

The article highlights the growing threat of antibiotic resistance, which demands innovative strategies to combat multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms, particularly in hospital environments, where such infections represent a major global health challenge.

Since the rise of interdisciplinary nanotechnology research and funding initiatives in the early 2000s, silver ions have re-emerged as powerful antimicrobial agents, offering a promising complement to conventional therapies. Today, this therapeutic potential is being explored through the use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as a means of controlled silver ion release. Recent studies have shown that this controlled release enhances the effectiveness of common antibiotics. This is attributed to the high energy demand required for the bacterial response to silver, which weakens bacterial metabolism, overwhelms its defences, and increases antibiotic efficacy.

In this context, historical knowledge of colloidal silver and AgNP use is combined with a review of recent research exploring the synergistic effect between AgNPs and antibiotics as a promising strategy against MDR pathogens.

Reference:

Casals E, Gusta MF, Bastus N, Rello J, Puntes V. Silver Nanoparticles and Antibiotics: A Promising Synergistic Approach to Multidrug-Resistant Infections. Microorganisms. 2025; 13(4):952.

https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13040952