title: An Overview on Bacteriophages: A Natural Nanostructured Antibacterial Agent.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent advances in the field of bionanomedicine not only enable us to produce biomaterials but also to manipulate them at molecular level. Viruses particularly bacteriophages are a promising nanomaterial that can be functionalized with great precision. Bacteriophages are the natural antimicrobial agents that fight against antibiotic resistant bacteria which cause infections in animals, humans, or in crops of agricultural value. The idea of utilizing bacteriophages as therapeutic agents is due to their ability to kill bacteria at the end of the infectious cycle.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This paper reviewed the general biology of bacteriophages and the presence of receptors on the bacteria which are necessary for the recognition and adsorption of bacteriophages. Pharmacokinetics and therapeutic potential of bacteriophages administered through various routes in treating diverse bacterial infections is also reviewed along with the problems associated with bacteriophage therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among various routes of administration, parenteral route is found to be the most thriving route for the treatment of systemic infections whereas oral route is meant to treat gastrointestinal infections and; local delivery (skin, nasal, ears) of phages has proven its potency to treat topical infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, IFTM University, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, 244001. India.
authors.forename: Vaibhav
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rastogi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, IFTM University, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, 244001. India.
authors.lastname: Pragya
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, IFTM University, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, 244001. India.
authors.forename: Navneet
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, IFTM University, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, 244001. India.
authors.forename: Arun Kumar
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Institute of Medical Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, 221005. India.
authors.forename: Gopal
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nath
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics, I.T.S. Paramedical College (Pharmacy), Muradnagar, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, 201206. India.
authors.forename: Praveen Kumar
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Gaur
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, IFTM University, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, 244001. India.
authors.forename: Anurag
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verma
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000737:chemistry*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry*; D000071059:Phage Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Bacterial receptors; antibacterial agents; bacteriophage; bionanomedicine; delivery routes; pharmacokinetics