Int J Nanomed
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In this study, a mixture of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) was electrospun with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to produce fibrous mats for use in wound healing. The AgNPs were reduced by COS prior to electrospinning or Ag(+) was reduced via ultraviolet irradiation in nanofibers. The morphologies of the PVA/COS/AgNO3 and PVA/COS-AgNP nanofibers were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. ⋯ The nanofibers significantly inhibited growth of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. PVA/COS-AgNP nanofibers accelerated the rate of wound healing over that of the control (gauze). The results of our in vitro and in vivo animal experiments suggest that PVA/COS-AgNP nanofibers should be of greater interest than PVA/COS/AgNO3 nanofibers for clinical use as a bioactive wound dressing.
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Intravascular catheter-related infections are still a major problem in health care and are associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and additional cost. The formation of microbial biofilm on catheters makes these infections particularly complicated, as microbial cells that detach from the biofilm can lead to infection, and because these microorganisms are highly resistant to many antimicrobial agents; thus, catheter removal is often required to successfully treat infection. ⋯ Currently, nanotechnology approaches seem to be among the most promising for preventing biofilm formation and resultant catheter-related bloodstream infection (especially with multi-resistant bacterial strains). In this review, current knowledge about catheter technology and design, the mechanisms of catheter-related bloodstream infection, and the insertion and care practices performed by medical staff, are discussed, along with novel, achievable approaches to infection prevention, based on nanotechnology.
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The development of nontoxic methods of synthesizing nanoparticles is a major step in nanotechnology to allow their application in nanomedicine. The present study aims to biosynthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using a cell-free extract of Acinetobacter spp. and evaluate their antibacterial activity. ⋯ This is the first report of synthesis of AgNPs using A. calcoaceticus LRVP54 and their significant synergistic activity with antibiotics resulting in increased susceptibility of multidrug-resistant bacteria evaluated as per MIC breakpoints of the CLSI standard.
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Biological synthesis of nanoparticles is a growing innovative approach that is relatively cheaper and more environmentally friendly than current physicochemical processes. Among various microorganisms, fungi have been found to be comparatively more efficient in the synthesis of nanomaterials. In this research work, extracellular mycosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was probed by reacting the precursor salt of silver nitrate (AgNO3) with culture filtrate of Aspergillus flavus. ⋯ Combined and individual antibacterial activities of the five conventional antibiotics and AgNPs were investigated against eight different multidrug-resistant bacterial species using the Kirby-Bauer disk-diffusion method. The decreasing order of antibacterial activity (zone of inhibition in mm) of antibiotics, AgNPs, and their conjugates against bacterial group (average) was; ciprofloxacin + AgNPs (23) . imipenem + AgNPs (21) > gentamycin + AgNPs (19) > vancomycin + AgNPs (16) > AgNPs (15) . imipenem (14) > trimethoprim + AgNPs (14) > ciprofloxacin (13) > gentamycin (11) > vancomycin (4) > trimethoprim (0). Overall, the synergistic effect of antibiotics and nanoparticles resulted in a 0.2-7.0 (average, 2.8) fold-area increase in antibacterial activity, which clearly revealed that nanoparticles can be effectively used in combination with antibiotics in order to improve their efficacy against various pathogenic microbes.
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Mechanical ventilation has been documented to paradoxically cause lung injury. As a commonly used volatile anesthetic, sevoflurane has been proven to possess antiinflammatory and antioxidative properties. This study aims to investigate the protective effects of sevoflurane on inflammation and ventilator-induced lung injury during mechanical ventilation in healthy mice. ⋯ Mechanical ventilation with high tidal volume might lead to lung injury, which could be significantly, but not completely, attenuated by sevoflurane inhalation by inhibiting the NF-κB-mediated proinflammatory cytokine generation and upregulating HO-1 expression.