Nano-sponge hydrogel for the treatment of drug-resistant bacterial infections

Release date: 2015-05-25

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Nanosponge hydrogels can be produced by adding nanoparticles that adsorb bacterial toxins to a fixed gel, which may be used to treat local bacterial infections in the future.

Nanoscience engineers at the University of California, San Diego have developed a gel that contains nano-sponges that adsorb bacterial toxins. This gel is expected to be used in the treatment of skin and wounds caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, which produces resistance to all penicillins, often referred to as "superbugs"). Infection. This "nano-sponge hydrogel" minimizes damage to the skin of mice infected with drug-resistant S. aureus without the use of antibiotics. The study was published in the academic journal Advanced Materials.

In the manufacture of this nanosponge hydrogel, scientists mixed the nanosponge with the hydrogel. Nanosponge is a nanoparticle that absorbs dangerous toxins secreted by drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and other bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. Hydrogel is a type of water and polymer. glue. In this nanosponge hydrogel, the hydrogel retains the nanosponge control in the infected area and adsorbs bacterial toxins.

“We combined the advantages of the two materials, nanosponge and hydrogel, to produce a powerful drug that can treat local bacterial infections,” said Liangfang Zhang, who is a member of the University of California, San Diego. Professor of Nanoengineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering, the head of the study, "Nano-sponges are difficult to use on local tissues alone because they spread quickly to other parts of the body. By integrating nano-sponges into water In the gel, we can keep their control on the infected site."

Because the use of nano-sponge hydrogels does not require the use of antibiotics, scientists believe that the resistance of existing bacteria to antibiotics is unlikely to have an impact on the effectiveness of this approach. Not only that, because the treatment does not use antibiotics, this treatment is also unlikely to cause new resistance to bacteria.

Zhang Liangfang's research team published a related research in Nature Nanotechnology in 2013. This new research result is a new development based on previous research. A 2013 study by Zhang Liangfang found that nanosponges can absorb harmful bacterial toxins in the blood and remove them from their target, red blood cells. In this new study, scientists have found that the removal of bacterial toxins may be able to treat bacterial infections caused by resistant bacteria.

"One way to treat this type of bacterial infection is to remove these bacterial toxins, which are both a weapon for these bacteria to attack the organism and a shield for the self-protection of these bacteria," Zhang said. "According to our hypothesis, after removing these toxins, these bacteria become extremely fragile and are completely exposed, which allows the body's immune system to easily kill the bacteria without using drugs."

Nano hydrogel therapy

So what is the treatment principle of nanosponge hydrogel therapy? Each nanosponge is a nanoparticle encapsulated by the cell membrane of red blood cells. These encapsulated cell membranes "make" these nano-sponges into red blood cells, which are targets of harmful toxins secreted by drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Through this "disguise", nano-sponges can attract these harmful toxins and remove them from the blood. In order for these nano-sponges to remove toxins from a particular location, such as a wound that is infected on the skin, it is necessary to have a large amount of nano-sponge at this location. The role of the hydrogel is to keep the nanosponge control in this area. At the point where treatment is needed, there are billions of nano-sponge particles per milliliter of hydrogel. The pores in the hydrogel are so small that the nanosponges do not diffuse out of the hydrogel, but for bacterial toxins, these pores are very large, allowing these toxins to enter the hydrogel in combination with the nanosponge.

The study found that treatment with nanosponge hydrogels can reduce skin damage caused by drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection. Studies in mice have found that mice treated with nanosponge hydrogels have much less damage on their skin than untreated mice.

“After injecting the nanosponge hydrogel into the infected site, we found that these gels adsorbed the toxins secreted by the bacteria and prevented further damage to blood, muscle and tissue at these locations,” said Zhang Liangfang.

The study also found that hydrogels effectively retain nanosponge control in specific areas of the body. Two days after the nanosponge hydrogel was injected into the skin of the mouse, nearly 80% of the nanosponge remained in the injection site. When a nanosponge without a hydrogel was injected, only 20% of the nanosponges remained in the injection site after two hours of injection. Most of the nanosponges have spread to the surrounding tissues.

Source: Sina Technology

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