Combatting antibiotic resistance: challenges and emerging therapeutic strategies

The discovery of antibiotics marked a crucial milestone in medical history, widely credited for its pivotal role in saving countless lives. However, the escalating resistance of microbes to traditional antimicrobial drugs (antibiotics) now jeopardizes the effectiveness of these life-saving drugs. The World Health Organization adopted a Global Action Plan (GAP) in 2015, recognizing the looming threat to human health posed by antimicrobial resistance (AMR). As of 2019, 4.95 million global deaths are attributed to AMR, with 1.27 million deaths recorded in that year alone. In this review, a thorough literature survey was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science using keywords related to AMR, antibiotic action, the mechanisms of AMR, and treatment of AMR. There was a primary focus on alternative therapies and innovative medicinal advancements, such as bacteriophage therapy, antimicrobial peptides, probiotics, and synthetic inhibitors for ppGpp nucleotide messengers as potential treatment options to reduce our dependence on antibiotics. These innovative strategies broaden the currently limited scope of treatments against the emerging resistant strains of microorganisms.抗生素（antibiotics）的发现是医学史上的关键里程碑，因其在挽救无数生命中发挥的核心作用而广受赞誉。然而，微生物对传统抗菌药物（antibiotics）的耐药性持续升级，正危及这些救命药物的临床有效性。世界卫生组织（World Health Organization）于2015年通过了《全球行动计划》（Global Action Plan, GAP），明确了抗菌药物耐药性（antimicrobial resistance, AMR）对人类健康构成的迫在眉睫的威胁。截至2019年，全球共有495万例死亡与抗菌药物耐药性相关，其中仅当年就有127万例死亡病例。本综述通过在PubMed、Scopus与Web of Science数据库中检索与抗菌药物耐药性、抗生素作用机制、抗菌药物耐药机制及抗菌药物耐药性治疗相关的关键词，开展了全面的文献调研。研究重点聚焦于替代疗法与创新医学进展，例如噬菌体疗法、抗菌肽、益生菌，以及针对ppGpp核苷酸信使的合成抑制剂等潜在治疗方案，以期降低我们对抗生素的依赖。这些创新策略拓宽了当前针对新兴耐药微生物菌株的治疗手段的有限范畴。