Nanoparticles supercharge vinegar's wound-healing power
Researchers from QIMR Berghofer, Flinders University and the University of Bergen have found that adding microscopic particles to vinegar can make them more effective against dangerous bacterial infections, with hopes that the combination could help combat antibiotic resistance. The team’s findings have been published in the journal ACS Nano.
Wounds that do not heal are often caused by bacterial infections and are particularly dangerous for the elderly and people with diabetes, cancer and other conditions. And while acetic acid (more commonly known as vinegar) has been used for centuries as a disinfectant, it is only effective against a small number of bacteria and it does not kill the most dangerous types.
The research team has now managed to boost the natural bacterial-killing qualities of vinegar by adding antimicrobial nanoparticles made from carbon and cobalt. Molecular biologists Dr Adam Truskewycz and Professor Nils Halberg, both from the University of Bergen, found these particles could kill several dangerous bacterial species, and their activity was enhanced when added to a weak vinegar solution.
As part of the study, Truskewycz and Halberg added cobalt-containing carbon quantum dot nanoparticles to weak acetic acid to create a potent antimicrobial treatment. They used this mixture against several pathogenic species, including the drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis.
Truskewycz, who is also based at Flinders University, said the acidic environment from the vinegar made bacterial cells swell and take up the nanoparticle treatment.
“Once exposed, the nanoparticles appear to attack dangerous bacteria from both inside the bacterial cell and also on its surface, causing them to burst,” he said. “Importantly, this approach is non-toxic to human cells and was shown to remove bacterial infections from mice wounds without affecting healing.”
Halberg, who is also based at QIMR Berghofer, said the study shows how nanoparticles could be used to increase the effectiveness of traditional bacterial treatments.
“Combination treatments such as the ones highlighted in this study may help to curb antimicrobial resistance,” he said. “Given this issue can kill up to 5 million people each year, it’s vital we look to find new ways of killing pathogens like viruses, bacteria and fungi or parasites.”
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