Biologists invented a way to do without antibiotics
The peptides in the spray kill bacteria by damaging their protective outer membranes.A new wound care spray can help eliminate the need for antibiotics. It kills bacteria with peptides that are natural to our bodies.
Scientists have studied peptides to kill bacteria before. The problem is that they break down quickly on contact with blood or other body fluids. However, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have found a "workaround."
They attached peptide molecules to hydrogel microparticles with a special structure. It protects them from blood, but at the same time helps them destroy bacteria by disrupting the protective outer membrane of the bacteria, and they do not develop resistance to antibiotics.
Scientists have already tested the new spray in the lab: it was found to kill 99.99% of the bacteria on contact with the wound, including antibiotic-resistant types such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). What's more, it remained effective for about 48 hours.
Scientists are now studying the possibility of using the spray to coat medical implants to prevent infections. They have already tested it on silicone, which is commonly used for catheters.
"The substance in this wound spray is completely non-toxic and does not affect human cells," the scientists explain in a press release from Chalmers University of Technology. - Unlike existing bactericidal sprays, it does not interfere with the body's healing process. Materials that are simply sprayed on a wound kill bacteria in a shorter time."