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A group of researchers (Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden) have developed a spray that can kill even antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The spray can be used for wound care and directly on implants and other medical devices.
It is estimated that antibiotic-resistant bacteria cause nearly 1.3 million deaths a year worldwide. As part of the effort to slow down the spread and development of drug resistance, researchers at Chalmers are developing a new antibacterial material that can be used in healthcare and become an effective tool to fight antibiotic resistance.
The material consists of small hydrogel particles equipped with a type of peptide that effectively kills and binds bacteria. Attaching the peptides to the particles provides a protective environment and increases the stability of the peptides. This allows them to work together with body fluids such as blood, which otherwise inactivates the peptides, making them difficult to use in healthcare. In previous studies, the researchers showed how the peptides can be used for wound care materials such as wound dressings.
A hydrogel is a biphasic material, a mixture of porous, permeable solids and at least 10% by weight or volume of interstitial fluid composed completely or mainly by water.
The wound spray, which can reach into deep wounds and other open areas on the body where bacteria can enter, is flexible and very useful for treating and preventing infection. The new material has many advantages over existing sprays and disinfectants. Unlike existing bactericidal sprays, it does not inhibit the body's healing process.
For treatments in which materials such as implants and catheters are inserted into human bodies, infections are a major problem. Therefore, there is great need for new antibacterial biomaterials, i.e. materials that treat, replace or modify organs, tissue or functions in a biological body. One of the major sources for hospital-acquired infection comes from the usage of urinary catheters. The Chalmers researchers' new coating is additionally an effective new tool for reducing this risk and preventing infections.
Journal references:
Edvin Blomstrand, Anand K. Rajasekharan, Saba Atefyekta, Martin Andersson. Cross-linked lyotropic liquid crystal particles functionalized with antimicrobial peptides. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2022; 627: 122215 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2022.122215
Annija Stepulane, Anand Kumar Rajasekharan, Martin Andersson. Multifunctional Surface Modification of PDMS for Antibacterial Contact Killing and Drug-Delivery of Polar, Nonpolar, and Amphiphilic Drugs. ACS Applied Bio Materials, 2022; 5 (11): 5289 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.2c00705
Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle, Pharmaceutical Microbiology Resources (http://www.pharmamicroresources.com/)
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