Nanoparticles could seek out and destroy dangerous bacteria.
Nanoparticles could seek out and destroy dangerous bacteria.
A new study suggests that nanoparticles can eliminate bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
Scientists from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology-Zurich are developing nanoparticles that would detect and kill multi-resistant pathogens that hide inside human body cells.
Due to the increased resistance to antibiotics, bacteria can cause life-threatening infections in humans, scientists say.
Among bacteria, some pathogens can penetrate into cells and are “invisible” to the human system — and antibiotics cannot tackle them. This is how they survive, even when the body’s defense is alerted.
These pathogens, among many others, include multiresistant staphylococci (MRSA), which can cause severe illnesses, such as sepsis or pneumonia.
The increasing number of staphylococcal infections that don’t respond to antibiotic treatment are of particular concern.
In order to track down the germs in their hideouts and eliminate them, the Swiss researchers have been developing nanoparticles that use a different method of action compared with conventional antibiotics.
Unlike antibiotics, which due to their size have difficulty penetrating human cells, nanoparticles can easily penetrate the affected cells’ membranes, given their small dimensions and structure. Once they reach these places, they can successfully fight bacteria.
The team led by Inge Herrmann and Tino Matter used cerium oxide, which has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties in its nanoparticle form.
The nanoparticles were combined with bioglass, known for its versatile regenerative properties. It has a wide range of uses, including bone and soft-tissue reconstruction.
“The team … has used cerium oxide, a material with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties in its nanoparticle form. The researchers combined the nanoparticles with a bioactive ceramic material known as bioglass,” Science Daily reported from the Swiss laboratories’ press release.
The researchers synthesized flame-made nanoparticle hybrids comprised of cerium oxide and bioglass. These particles were previously successfully used as wound adhesives. They helped with healing acceleration and wound dampening.
The novel particles also showed significantly higher effectiveness against bacteria, and the treatment seemed to be tolerated by human cells.
The researchers were able to show interactions between the hybrid nanoparticles, human cells and germs using electron microscopy and several other methods. The experiment showed bacteria inside infected cells that were treated with these nanoparticles began to dissolve.
In situations when the hybrid particle uptake was intentionally blocked, the antibacterial was lacking.
The particles’ exact mode of action is not yet fully understood, the scientists say, but they assume the nanoparticles affect the cell membrane of the bacteria, creating reactive oxygen species that lead to the destruction of the germs. Since the membrane of human cells is structurally different, the cells are not affected by this process.
Researcher Tino Matter from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, believes the cerium particles could have a long-lasting effect.
The researchers’ goal is to develop a simple, robust antibacterial agent effective inside infected cells.
The study was published in the journal Nanoscale in the “Emerging Investigator Collection 2021.”
The Swiss researchers have patented the new technology.
(Edited by Judith Isacoff and Fern Siegel)
