| Sep 13, 2023 |
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(Nanowerk News) Researchers have invented a nano-thin superbug-slaying material that could one day be integrated into wound dressings and implants to prevent or heal bacterial infections.
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The innovation – which has undergone advanced pre-clinical trials – is effective against a broad range of drug-resistant bacterial cells, including ‘golden staph’, which are commonly referred to as superbugs.
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Antibiotic resistance is a major global health threat, causing about 700,000 deaths annually, a figure which could rise to 10 million deaths a year by 2050 without the development of new antibacterial therapies.
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The new study led by RMIT University and the University of South Australia (UniSA) tested black phosphorus-based nanotechnology as an advanced infection treatment and wound healing therapeutic.
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Results published in Advanced Therapeutics (“Layered Black Phosphorus Nanoflakes Reduce Bacterial Burden and Enhance Healing of Murine Infected Wounds”) show it effectively treated infections, killing over 99% of bacteria, without damaging other cells in biological models.
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| The ball shapes are bacteria and the “sheet” is black phosphorus, under the microscope at RMIT University. (Note these images have been coloured in post-production.) (Image: Aaron Elbourne and colleagues, RMIT University
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The treatment achieved comparable results to an antibiotic in eliminating infection and accelerated healing, with wounds closing by 80% over seven days.
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The superbug-killing nanotechnology developed internationally by RMIT was rigorously tested in pre-clinical trials by wound-healing experts at UniSA. RMIT has sought patent protection for the black phosphorus flakes including its use in wound healing formulations, including gels.
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RMIT co-lead researcher, Professor Sumeet Walia, said the study showed how their innovation provided rapid antimicrobial action, then self-decomposed after the threat of infection had been eliminated.
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“The beauty of our innovation is that it is not simply a coating – it can actually be integrated into common materials that devices are made of, as well as plastic and gels, to make them antimicrobial,” said Walia from RMIT’s School of Engineering.
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A previous study led by RMIT revealed that black phosphorus was effective at killing microbes when spread in nano-thin layers on surfaces used to make wound dressings and implants such as cotton and titanium, or integrated into plastics used in medical instruments.
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How the invention works
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Black phosphorus is the most stable form of phosphorus – a mineral that is naturally present in many foods – and, in an ultra-thin form, degrades easily with oxygen, making it ideal for killing microbes.
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“As the nanomaterial breaks down, its surface reacts with the atmosphere to produce what are called reactive oxygen species. These species ultimately help by ripping bacterial cells apart,” Walia said.
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The new study tested the effectiveness of nano-thin flakes of black phosphorus against five common bacteria strains, including E. coli and drug-resistant golden staph.
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“Our antimicrobial nanotechnology rapidly destroyed more than 99% of bacterial cells – significantly more than common treatments used to treat infections today.”
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The global war on superbugs
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Co-lead researcher Dr Aaron Elbourne from RMIT said healthcare professionals around the world were in desperate need of new treatments to overcome the problem of antibiotic resistance.
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“Superbugs – the pathogens that are resistant to antibiotics – are responsible for massive health burdens and as drug resistance grows, our ability to treat these infections becomes increasingly challenging,” Elbourne, a Senior Research Fellow in RMIT’s School of Science at RMIT, said.
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“If we can make our invention a commercial reality in the clinical setting, these superbugs globally wouldn’t know what hit them.”
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Treatment efficacy in preclinical models of wound infection
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Lead researcher from UniSA, Dr Zlatko Kopecki, and his team performed the pre-clinical trials to show how daily topical application of the black phosphorus nanoflakes significantly reduced infection.
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“This is exciting as the treatment was comparable to the ciprofloxacin antibiotic in eradicating wound infection and resulted in accelerated healing, with wounds closing by 80% over seven days,” Dr Kopecki said.
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Dr Kopecki, who is also a Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation Fellow in Childhood Wound Infections, said antibiotic treatments are becoming scarce.
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“We urgently need to develop new alternative non-antibiotic approaches to treat and manage wound infection,” he said.
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“Black phosphorus seems to have hit the spot and we look forward to seeing the translation of this research towards clinical treatment of chronic wounds.”
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The team wants to collaborate with potential industry partners to develop and prototype the technology.
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