New drug-targeting strategy from beneath the shell of egg.

IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD

Antibiotic resistance is a serious problem that continues to challenge the healthcare sectors and has become increasingly alarming in the past few years. To face this emerging global crisis, there is a need to find a new class of antibiotics that act on new microbial targets and/or harness existing antibiotics by developing new drug-targeting strategies.

AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW

This review: explores an innovative drug-delivery strategy of using hen egg lysozyme as a carrier to enable water solubilization and to allow specific targeting to the microbial cells of a water-insoluble antimicrobial agent with a powerful killing action; addresses potentials for lysozyme in antibiotics drug targeting; and provides insight for the future direction of this highly prospective technology.

WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN

The unique features and advantages of lysozyme-based drug delivery system are highlighted. The efficiency of lysozyme in solubilization and delivery of lipophilic antibiotics, to reformulate drugs that may fail clinical trials owing to low solubility, is emphasized.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE

Fewer pharmaceutical companies are inventing new antibiotics because of long development times and high failure rates. Combining lysozyme with a powerful old antibiotic may open doors to revolutionizing medicine, particularly in the treatment of deadly infections.