A novel substance has been created by the University of Barcelona (UAB) and Catalan Institute for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) researchers to combat the spread of diseases, pathogens, and antibiotic resistance. It may be used as a coating to protect healthcare textiles and offers a practical substitute for frequently used materials including paper, cotton, surgical masks, and commercial plasters. It was inspired by the compounds excreted by mussels to stick to rocks. The study was published in the Chemical Engineering Journal.
Image Credit: University of Barcelona
An increasing global hazard to public health, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a result of the misuse of antibiotics. AMR is the result of bacteria changing over time so they are resistant to medications, antibiotics, and other associated antimicrobial therapies. This increases the danger of pathogen transmission, serious disease, and death, as well as making illnesses more difficult to cure.
Indeed, according to reports from the UN and WHO, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious global health problem that will likely surpass cancer as the main cause of death worldwide by the year 2050. In this case, reducing pathogen transmission and avoiding infections requires the creation of new and more effective antibacterial materials.
Controlling bacterial populations in health settings such as hospitals and other healthcare facilities is important for avoiding so-called nosocomial infections, which are caused mostly by bacterial colonization on biomedical surfaces.
These days, infections of this type are the sixth greatest cause of mortality in developed nations, and the rate is far greater in underdeveloped nations. They particularly afflict patients who are immunocompromised, require intense care (for burns, for example), or have chronic illnesses like diabetes.
Fabrics are a vital component of patient care, even though they are one of the many materials that can spread bacterial populations. These materials include medical curtains, bed sheets, pillowcases, bandages, gloves, and clothing worn by physicians, surgeons, and nurses, all of which come into direct contact with sutures and wounds. Because of all these factors, research on antibacterial coatings for medical fabrics has exploded.
A family of biocompatible and bioinspired coatings has been developed by researchers from the UAB Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the UAB Institute for Neuroscience (INc-UAB), and the Catalan Institute for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2). The coatings are created through the co-polymerization of amino-terminal ligands and catechol derivatives.
Due to their capacity to change chemically over time in the presence of air and humid environments, these coatings inspired by mussels are effective antibacterial materials. This is because they continuously promote the creation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). The manufacturing process produces a surplus of surface-free amino groups that cause the rupture of pathogen membranes in addition to ROS.
One of the main components found in the coatings (catechol and polyphenol derivatives) is found in the strands secreted by mussels, which are responsible for their adhesion to rocks under extreme conditions, under saline water.
Victor Yuste, Professor, University of Barcelona
I ICN2 researcher Salvio Suárez added, “The fact that the coatings we have developed are inspired by this organism allows them to adhere to practically any type of surface and, in addition, are highly resistant to different environmental conditions such as humidity or the presence of fluids. In addition, natural compounds help to obtain more biodegradable, biocompatible materials with lower antimicrobial resistance compared to other bactericidal systems that end up generating resistance and, therefore, rapidly lose effectiveness.”
Paper, cotton, surgical masks, and commercial plasters are examples of frequently used sanitary goods that have intrinsic multi-pathway antibacterial activity and quick reactions against a wide range of microorganisms. This includes pathogens thought to be the main cause of many modern diseases, especially those contracted in healthcare institutions, as well as microbes that have evolved a resilience to harsh environmental conditions (like B. subtilis).
These pathogens include multiresistant bacteria from Gram-positive (E. faecalis) and Gram-negative (E. coli and P. aeruginosa) environments (S. aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus – MRSA). Additionally, these compounds have shown effectiveness against fungus including Candida albicans and Candida auris.
Furthermore, its effective use has been shown in moist conditions, such as those prevalent in hospitals, where respiratory droplets and/or other biofluids are present, lowering the danger of transmission by indirect contact. A direct contact-killing mechanism, in which the pathogen is first attracted to the coating by catechol molecules and other polyphenol derivatives, was suggested as the cause of this antibacterial action.
After that, a variety of antibacterial pathways are triggered, with a primary emphasis on the continuous production of ROS at biosafety levels and electrostatic interactions with surface-exposed protic amino groups. These antibacterial processes caused irreparable harm to the microorganisms by inducing a quick (180 minutes for bacteria and 24 hours for fungus) and effective (above 99%) response against infections.
These novel coatings use inexpensive ingredients and environmentally friendly chemistry-based processes in a simple, one-step, scalable synthesis process under moderate circumstances. Additionally, the bio-inspired coatings' simplicity is enhanced by the polyphenolic character of their compositions and the lack of extraneous antimicrobial agents, which prevent the production of AMR and its harmful effects on host cells and the environment.
It is important to note that several characteristics, including color, thickness, and stickiness, were adjusted to provide a flexible solution for the various requirements of the finished material application. Since the developed bio-inspired coatings are a workable substitute for current antibacterial materials, they have generally shown a great deal of promise for future translation into clinics.
Researchers from the ICN2 (Daniel Ruiz-Molina and Salvio Suárez-García) and the UAB (Professor Víctor J. Yuste from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Institute of Neuroscience) collaborated to carry out this study. José Bolaños-Cardet, a PhD candidate in the UAB Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, is the study’s first author.
Grant PID2021-127983OB-C21 from MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ and ERDR “A way to make Europe” as well as SAF2017-83206-R from MCIN/Government of Spain and ERDR “A way to make Europe” provided funding for this study. The Government of Catalonia and CERCA provide funding for the ICN2.
The Severo Ochoa Centers of Excellence initiative, Grant CEX2021-001214-S, sponsored by MCIN/AEI/10.13039.501100011033, assists the ICN2. A “Research Trainee” scholarship (2020/D/LE/CC/3) from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona has been awarded to JB-C.
Journal Reference:
Bolaños-Cardet, J., et. al. (2024) Bioinspired phenol-based coatings for medical fabrics against antimicrobial resistance. Chemical Engineering Journal. doi:10.1016/j.cej.2024.148674.