Light-Induced Delivery of Nitric Oxide Eradicates Drug-Resistant Bacteria
Date: 6.6.2012
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have developed a novel approach for eradicating drug-resistant bacteria from wounds and skin infections, using light to trigger the controlled release of nitric oxide. The UCSC team developed a photoactive compound that releases nitric oxide when exposed to light, and loaded it into a porous, biocompatible material that could be applied as a sprayable powder.
In laboratory tests, the light-triggered nitric oxide treatment eradicated a highly drug-resistant strain of Acinetobacter baumannii, a type of gram-negative bacteria that causes hard-to-treat and potentially lethal infections throughout the world, including serious infections in soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Nitric oxide has potent antimicrobial effects and is known to play a role in the immune system and promote wound healing. Because nitric oxide attacks a large number of targets in microorganisms, including DNA, proteins, and lipids, many scientists expect bacteria will not easily develop resistance to it.
