Current Drug Targets - Volume 26, Issue 12, 2025

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) range from mild to severe cases, commonly caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli). The growing concern about antibiotic resistance demands alternative treatment strategies. Nanotechnology, particularly nanocarriers, presents a promising solution by enhancing drug delivery, antibacterial activity, and targeted therapy. This review focuses on the emerging role of combining herbal remedies with nanotechnology for more effective and personalized management of UTIs, aiming to overcome the limitations of conventional antibiotic therapies.

The review involved an extensive search of scientific databases and relevant literature, including studies published to date from PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. Urinary tract infections (UTI), antibiotic resistance, nanotechnology, drug delivery, targeted drug delivery, and herbal drugs were among the search phrases used.

According to studies, combining herbal extracts such as neem and turmeric with nanotechnology significantly enhances antimicrobial activity against UTI pathogens. These nanoformulations show enhanced bacterial inhibition, reduced inflammation, and increased therapeutic precision with minimal side effects.

The synergistic use of herbal remedies and nanocarriers offers a novel approach to managing UTIs. Nanotechnology not only enhances drug delivery but also improves diagnostic accuracy through fluorescence markers and biomolecule tagging. This strategy effectively addresses growing antibiotic resistance and supports the development of personalized treatments. The combination of natural bioactives and advanced delivery systems offers a safer, more effective alternative to conventional antibiotics in treating UTIs.

The integration of nanotechnology and herbal therapies revolutionizes UTI management through precision medicine. This approach enhances treatment efficacy, diagnostic accuracy, and patient outcomes, offering a personalized solution to combat antibiotic resistance and urinary tract abnormalities with improved targeting and minimal side effects.

Heterocyclic molecules, a mainstay of contemporary medicinal chemistry, are essential in developing antibacterial and anticancer treatments. Their distinct structural features-one or more heteroatoms within the ring-allow for a wide range of biological activities. With a focus on their modes of action and insights into the structure-activity relationship (SAR), this study examines the therapeutic uses of heterocyclic compounds in antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and anticancer treatments.

The review uses search engines like PubMed and Google Scholar, with a preference for English as the major language, to gather and analyse recent research on the antibacterial and anticancer applications of diverse heterocyclic compounds.

It has been discovered that heterocyclic chemicals are useful in blocking microbial enzymes, including DNA gyrase and the machinery involved in protein synthesis. Heterocyclic compounds such as benzimidazoles, quinolines, and acridines have demonstrated noteworthy efficacy in cancer therapy through their targeting of tubulin inhibition, DNA intercalation, and signalling pathways like PI3K/Akt/mTOR and MAPK. The pharmacological characteristics of these compounds were improved by the addition of electron-withdrawing groups, halogenation, and heteroatom replacements, according to SAR investigations.

Heterocyclic compounds have great promise for antibacterial and anticancer treatments. They are crucial in drug development because of their structural flexibility, which enables the targeted suppression of vital biological processes. The effectiveness of heterocyclic compounds will continue to be improved by ongoing advancements in drug design and SAR optimization, opening new possibilities for the creation of more potent and selective medicinal treatments.