Silver nanoparticles show promise in fighting antibiotic-resistant
bacteria

Date:
January 31, 2023
Source:
University of Florida
Summary:
A new study found that small amounts of silver nanoparticles
combined with a low dose of a common antibiotic inhibited the
growth of resistant bacteria.


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FULL STORY ==========================================================================
In a new study, scientists with the University of Florida found that
a combination of silver nanoparticles and antibiotics was effective
against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.


==========================================================================
The researchers hope to turn this discovery into viable treatment for
some types of antibiotic-resistant infections. Antibiotic-resistant
infections kill more than a million people globally each year.

For centuries, silver has been known to have antimicrobial
properties. However, silver nanoparticles -- microscopic spheres of
silver small enough to operate at the cellular level -- represent a new frontier in using the precious metal to fight bacteria.

In this study, the research team tested whether commercially available
silver nanoparticles boost the power of antibiotics and enable these
drugs to counter the very bacteria that have evolved to withstand them.

"We found that the silver nanoparticles and a common class of
broad-spectrum antibiotics called aminoglycosides work together synergistically," said Daniel Czyż, senior author of the study and
an assistant professor in the UF/IFAS department of microbiology and
cell science.

"When combined with a small amount of silver nanoparticles, the amount of antibiotic needed to inhibit the bacteria decreased 22-fold, which tells
us that the nanoparticles make the drug much more potent," Czyż
explained.

"In addition, aminoglycosides can have negative side effects, so
using silver nanoparticles could allow for a lower dose of antibiotic,
reducing those side effects." The findings were both surprising and
exciting, said Autumn Dove, first author of the study and a doctoral
candidate studying microbiology and cell science in the UF/IFAS College
of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

"When I first saw the result, my first thoughts were, 'Wow, this
works!'" said Dove.

Over the last several decades, overuse of antibiotics had led to
the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and a decline in the effectiveness of traditional antibiotic drugs, the researchers said. The study's findings indicate that silver nanoparticles have the potential
to renew the effectiveness of some of these drugs.

"Let's say you get a bad burn on your hand, and it gets infected with
one of these resistant strains of bacteria," Dove said. "It's possible
that dressing that burn with a combination of silver nanoparticles
and antibiotics could both clear that infection and prevent those
resistant bacteria from spreading elsewhere." Though antibiotics mainly
target bacteria, they can also damage human and animal cells. Using a microscopic worm called C. elegans, the researchers confirmed that the
silver nanoparticles did not also make the antibiotic more toxic to non-bacterial cells.

Building off the study's promising findings, the scientists next plan
to seek FDA authorization for clinical trials and work with UF Innovate
to patent an antimicrobial product that uses silver nanoparticles.

The silver nanoparticles used in the study were manufactured by the
Natural Immunogenics Corporation, which helped fund the study through
the UF Industry Partnerships Matching Grant Program. This program pairs
UF researchers with Florida-based technology and energy companies to
research and develop new products.

* RELATED_TOPICS
o Health_&_Medicine
# Infectious_Diseases # Pharmacology # Pharmaceuticals
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# Bacteria # Microbes_and_More # Microbiology
o Matter_&_Energy
# Nanotechnology # Construction # Civil_Engineering
* RELATED_TERMS
o Silicone o Antibiotic_resistance o Glycogen o Endospore o
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========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Florida. Original
written by Samantha Murray. Note: Content may be edited for style
and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Autumn S. Dove, Dominika I. Dzurny, Wren R. Dees, Nan Qin, Carmen C.

Nunez Rodriguez, Lauren A. Alt, Garrett L. Ellward, Jacob A. Best,
Nicholas G. Rudawski, Kotaro Fujii, Daniel M. Czyż. Silver
nanoparticles enhance the efficacy of aminoglycosides against
antibiotic- resistant bacteria. Frontiers in Microbiology, 2023;
13 DOI: 10.3389/ fmicb.2022.1064095 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230131183142.htm

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