Bacterial infections are one of the common global health concerns, causing serious harm to a person’s body. While treatment can vary, a healthcare provider often prescribes antibiotics to help fight the bacteria. However, bacteria in the human body have a way of developing the ability to defeat drugs designed to kill them.
Researchers from Southern University of Science and Technology, Fudan University in China and the University of Leeds in the UK have teamed up to combat antibiotic resistance using multifunctional gold nanomaterials.
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BIRMINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM – June 14: Surgeons at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham perform an operation on June 14, 2006, Birmingham, England. Senior NHS managers have said the organization needs to become more open in the future.
Over the past 60 years since antibiotics were discovered, “unbridled global use of antibiotics has exerted highly selective pressure on all bacterial species, which has spurred acquisition and accumulation of resistance genes through horizontal transmission”. the researchers wrote.
In this study, the team engineered a particle that is able to punch holes in the defenses of many common pathogenic bacteria by weaving gold that attracts the bacteria without damaging surrounding tissues.
Manipulating the behavior of gold nanoparticles in two ways
Using small, nano-sized gold dust for treatment can cause some serious damage to the human body. However, engineers have developed ways to manage gold nanoparticles by facilitating chemical reactions that release DNA-damaging oxygen species, or by making cell membranes permeable to toxic substances. different, such as antibiotics.
Use laser for treatment Bacterial conditions have also shown success in recent years.
Unfortunately, gold nanoparticle therapy still poses risks in human cells. That’s why engineers have developed two ways of controlling the behavior of gold nanoparticles.
One is to precisely limit the size of their clusters to just 25 atoms, under two nanometers, so that they can slide freely through our kidneys and out of our bodies more quickly. The second is to incorporate contrasting electrostatic adhesion levels of chemical structures called ligands, so that the particles can be easily tracked or controlled for shape.
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“Transforming Gold Therapy into a Clinical Reality”
It is important to note that one of the main concerns of this recent development is to ensure that it is less likely to affect the host organism.
While previous studies haven’t had much luck coating gold nanoparticles with anything other than a single-ligand, the team has come up with a winning formula, using a combination of both compounds. positively and negatively charged substances: pyridinium and zwitterion.
According to previous studies, pyridinium makes gold more attractive to bacteria, while zwitterion stabilizes its compatibility with animal tissues. The enhanced gold nanoclusters had a clear impact on bacterial agglomeration when tested against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE).
In addition, tests on mice with MRSE skin infections confirm that gold nanoparticles can aid in healing without causing damage.
Dejian Zhou, a chemical engineer from Leeds, said: “The study has implications for how we should think about responding to antibiotic resistance.
The researchers believe we can find great relief by seizing the ‘golden opportunity’ to combat antibiotic resistance.
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