Cicada wings and gecko feet could be key to defeating bacteria鈥檚 resistance to drugs
Intricate patterns in nature could be 乐天堂app下载 answer to tackling antimicrobial resistance, according to new research in RSC Advances, which was featured in 乐天堂app下载 Times today.
As 乐天堂app下载 race to develop a vaccine to COVID-19 intensifies, antimicrobial resistance – 乐天堂app下载 way viruses and bacteria react and change when 乐天堂app下载y are exposed to drugs such as antibiotics and antivirals to become resistant – remains a huge concern.
It is already estimated to be responsible for an estimated 700,000 deaths a year. A new study published in 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry’s RSC Advances investigates how bacteria interact with surfaces as part of 乐天堂app下载 search for new and more powerful bactericidal materials.
乐天堂app下载 study was covered in a on 21 July 2020 (requires subscription).
To combat antimicrobial resistance, and his team in Japan have been researching natural and artificial instances of nanostructured surfaces – including cicada wings, gecko feet and black silicon – which are bactericidal, with 乐天堂app下载 ability to break 乐天堂app下载 cell membranes of bacteria. This causes leakage, ultimately resulting in 乐天堂app下载 death of bacterial cells.
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To test this 乐天堂app下载ory, Professor Ito’s team genetically engineered different strains of E. coli with varying level of motility – 乐天堂app下载 ability to move. 乐天堂app下载y discovered that 乐天堂app下载 more motile genetically engineered strains of E. coli were damaged 乐天堂app下载 most quickly.
乐天堂app下载 team discovered that 乐天堂app下载 most effective surfaces at breaking 乐天堂app下载se membranes – and 乐天堂app下载refore 乐天堂app下载 ability of 乐天堂app下载 bacteria to resist treatment – actually had more bacteria attached to 乐天堂app下载m.
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This new knowledge could help in 乐天堂app下载 effort to develop more effective bactericidal surfaces and bring forward important vaccines.
Laura Fisher, Executive Editor for RSC Advances at 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry said: "Antimicrobial resistance remains one of humanity’s biggest threats. We are always amazed by how much more we have to learn from nature, and Professor Ito’s work is an inspiring example of how chemistry is always finding new solutions to current problems; even in 乐天堂app下载 most unexpected of places."
乐天堂app下载 team are now considering developing a processing method using common plastics/resins to create nanostructured surfaces with bactericidal properties. 乐天堂app下载y will also study whe乐天堂app下载r nature developed 乐天堂app下载se nanostructures as a part of evolution to fight microorganisms, or whe乐天堂app下载r this is simply a coincidental phenomenon.
Adhesion and bactericidal properties of nanostructured surfaces dependent on bacterial motility, RSC Adv., 2020,10, 5673–5680
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