Nanoparticles against burns
Krasnoyarsk scientists have proposed using bacterial nanoparticles to heal burn wounds
Scientists of the Krasnoyarsk Scientific Center SB RAS, Siberian Federal University and the Federal Siberian Scientific and Clinical Center of the FMBA of Russia proposed using ferromagnetic nanoparticles isolated from bacteria for the treatment of burns. In mice treated with ampicillin with nanoparticles, wound healing occurred twice as fast as in animals treated with pure ampicillin. The use of ampicillin with nanoparticles significantly reduced inflammation and activated tissue regeneration. The results of the work are published in the Journal of Superconductivity and Novel Magnetism (Stolyar et al., Bacterial Ferrihydrite Nanoparticles: Preparation, Magnetic Properties, and Application in Medicine).
Many people believe that any nanotechnological constructions are the result of the activities of modern science. However, nanoparticles are also widely distributed in nature. For example, a mineral such as ferrihydrite is present in almost all living organisms in the form of tiny formations containing iron. Instead of producing nanoparticles by chemical method, they can simply be extracted from living organisms. Particles with iron inclusions have ferromagnetic properties, which makes it possible to use them in various applications.
Krasnoyarsk scientists have proposed using ferromagnetic nanoparticles isolated from bacteria to treat burns. To establish the possibility of targeted drug delivery and the effect of magnetic nanoparticles on inflammatory processes in laboratory animals, scientists compared the results of treatment of mice. Some animals were treated with the usual ampicillin preparation, while others were treated with a suspension of magnetic nanoparticles with an antibiotic additive. In rodents injected with ampicillin in combination with nanoparticles, wound healing occurred twice as fast as in those treated with pure ampicillin. The use of ampicillin with nanoparticles significantly reduced inflammation and activated tissue regeneration.
The condition of burn wounds of laboratory animals after seven days of treatment. Left: application of ampicillin dissolved in saline solution. On the right – the use of magnetic nanoparticles with ampicillin and the influence of a magnetic field.
To produce bacterial ferrihydrite, Krasnoyarsk scientists grew Klebsiella oxytoca bacteria in the laboratory, which were extracted from lake bottom sediments. The bacterial strain was obtained from the rotted remains of plants and animals from the bottom of Lake Borovoe in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Microorganisms were grown in oxygen-free conditions on a standard nutrient medium. After repeated ultrasonic treatment, centrifugation and washing of bacteria, the specialists obtained a solution of nanoparticles, which was used in experiments.
"It is the small size of nanoparticles and the presence of their magnetic moment that allows us to achieve such results. Nanoparticles, due to their size, have the ability to penetrate well into tissues, and the presence of a magnetic moment allows these nanoparticles to be controlled by an external inhomogeneous magnetic field. The suspension of magnetic nanoparticles and an antibiotic has a great healing effect due to the penetration of the suspension into deeper layers of damaged tissues," commented Sergey Ivanovich Popkov, a senior researcher at the L.V. Kirensky Institute of Physics, FITC KNC SB RAS, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru