Combatting Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Using Antimicrobial Materials

A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Antimicrobial Materials and Surfaces".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 6896

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Institut de Science et d’Ingénierie Supramoléculaires, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
Interests: functional nanomaterials; surface engineering; antimicrobial materials; molecular electronics; sensing; surface analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bacterial infections and biofilm formation have a critical impact on our everyday lives, from the spread of severe infectious diseases to significant performance losses in process industries due to biofouling.

Conventional approaches to combat bacterial infections notably rely on the use of antibiotics; however, the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains has severely decreased the efficacy of currently available antibiotic treatments. Considering the limitations of other approaches (e.g., chlorine-based) and the long timeline for the development of new effective antibiotics, the design of alternative strategies to fight bacterial infections is essential. Amongst these, antimicrobial materials are under the research spotlight as a promising approach for both dispersing established biofilms and preventing bacterial colonization.

This Special Issue, “Combatting Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Using Antimicrobial Materials”, would like to cover a broad range of topics related to antimicrobial materials, including the design of novel materials showing antibacterial properties (e.g., engineered nanomaterials, nanoparticles, peptides, polymers, antifouling coatings, biomaterials, etc.) and the investigation of the relationship between the material’s physicochemical features and their antimicrobial efficacy. We encourage original contributions covering the synthesis, characterisation and application of novel antimicrobial materials to any technological area of interest, such as (but not limited to) biomedical sectors, process industries, wastewater treatment and food packaging. Together with application-focused contributions, we will gladly welcome research papers dealing with fundamental studies on material–bacteria interaction.

Dr. Stefania Vitale
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • antimicrobial material
  • antibiotic resistance
  • engineered nanomaterials
  • nanoparticles
  • antifouling
  • material characterization
  • bacteria–material interaction

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1763 KiB  
Article
Efficacy of Plasma-Treated Water against Salmonella Typhimurium: Antibacterial Activity, Inhibition of Invasion, and Biofilm Disruption
by Adrian Abdo, Andrea McWhorter, Daniel Hasse, Thomas Schmitt-John and Katharina Richter
Antibiotics 2023, 12(9), 1371; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12091371 - 27 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1715
Abstract
Plasma-treated water (PTW) has emerged as a potential sanitizing agent. This study evaluated antibacterial activity, inhibition of invasion, and biofilm disruption effects of PTW against Salmonella Typhimurium. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) were determined for different PTW types. Time-kill [...] Read more.
Plasma-treated water (PTW) has emerged as a potential sanitizing agent. This study evaluated antibacterial activity, inhibition of invasion, and biofilm disruption effects of PTW against Salmonella Typhimurium. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) were determined for different PTW types. Time-kill assays were conducted to assess bactericidal effects, while polarized Caco-2 cells were used to evaluate invasion inhibition. Biofilm formation and cell viability were examined following PTW treatment using Salmonella Typhimurium isolates, while biofilm disruption and regrowth prevention were investigated using the Bioflux system. PTW exhibited antibacterial activity against all Salmonella Typhimurium isolates, with MICs of 25% for PTW1 and PTW2, and 50% for PTW3, PTW4, and PTW5. MBCs of 50% in media were observed for all PTW types. Undiluted PTW1 and PTW2 showed the highest bactericidal capacity, significantly reduced Salmonella viability, and completely inhibited bacterial invasion, while PTW3 and PTW5 also showed significant invasion reduction. Bioflux experiments confirmed the eradication of biofilms by PTW1 and PTW2, with no regrowth observed 72 h after PTW was removed. PTW demonstrated significant antibacterial activity, inhibition of invasion, biofilm disruption, and reduction of bacterial viability against Salmonella Typhimurium. This highlights PTW’s potential as an effective sanitizer for reducing Salmonella contaminations. Full article
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12 pages, 5848 KiB  
Article
Facile Implementation of Antimicrobial Coatings through Adhesive Films (Wraps) Demonstrated with Cuprous Oxide Coatings
by Saeed Behzadinasab, Myra D. Williams, Joseph O. Falkinham III and William A. Ducker
Antibiotics 2023, 12(5), 920; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12050920 - 17 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1213
Abstract
Antimicrobial coatings have a finite lifetime because of wear, depletion of the active ingredient, or surface contamination that produces a barrier between the pathogen and the active ingredient. The limited lifetime means that facile replacement is important. Here, we describe a generic method [...] Read more.
Antimicrobial coatings have a finite lifetime because of wear, depletion of the active ingredient, or surface contamination that produces a barrier between the pathogen and the active ingredient. The limited lifetime means that facile replacement is important. Here, we describe a generic method for rapidly applying and reapplying antimicrobial coatings to common-touch surfaces. The method is to deposit an antimicrobial coating on a generic adhesive film (wrap), and then to attach that modified wrap to the common-touch surface. In this scenario, the adhesion of the wrap and antimicrobial efficacy are separated and can be optimized independently. We demonstrate the fabrication of two antimicrobial wraps, both using cuprous oxide (Cu2O) as the active ingredient. The first uses polyurethane (PU) as the polymeric binder and the second uses polydopamine (PDA). Our antimicrobial PU/Cu2O and PDA/Cu2O wraps, respectively, kill >99.98% and >99.82% of the human pathogen, P. aeruginosa, in only 10 min, and each of them kill >99.99% of the bacterium in 20 min. These antimicrobial wraps can be removed and replaced on the same object in <1 min with no tools. Wraps are already frequently used by consumers to coat drawers or cars for aesthetic or protective purposes. Full article
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14 pages, 2048 KiB  
Article
Development of Chitosan Particles Loaded with siRNA for Cystatin C to Control Intracellular Drug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis
by David Pires, Manoj Mandal, Ana I. Matos, Carina Peres, Maria João Catalão, José Miguel Azevedo-Pereira, Ronit Satchi-Fainaro, Helena F. Florindo and Elsa Anes
Antibiotics 2023, 12(4), 729; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12040729 - 08 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1959
Abstract
The golden age of antibiotics for tuberculosis (TB) is marked by its success in the 1950s of the last century. However, TB is not under control, and the rise in antibiotic resistance worldwide is a major threat to global health care. Understanding the [...] Read more.
The golden age of antibiotics for tuberculosis (TB) is marked by its success in the 1950s of the last century. However, TB is not under control, and the rise in antibiotic resistance worldwide is a major threat to global health care. Understanding the complex interactions between TB bacilli and their host can inform the rational design of better TB therapeutics, including vaccines, new antibiotics, and host-directed therapies. We recently demonstrated that the modulation of cystatin C in human macrophages via RNA silencing improved the anti-mycobacterial immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Available in vitro transfection methods are not suitable for the clinical translation of host-cell RNA silencing. To overcome this limitation, we developed different RNA delivery systems (DSs) that target human macrophages. Human peripheral blood-derived macrophages and THP1 cells are difficult to transfect using available methods. In this work, a new potential nanomedicine based on chitosan (CS-DS) was efficiently developed to carry a siRNA-targeting cystatin C to the infected macrophage models. Consequently, an effective impact on the intracellular survival/replication of TB bacilli, including drug-resistant clinical strains, was observed. Altogether, these results suggest the potential use of CS-DS in adjunctive therapy for TB in combination or not with antibiotics. Full article
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12 pages, 1800 KiB  
Article
Mechanism and Efficacy of Cu2O-Treated Fabric
by Zachary Benmamoun, Trent Wyhopen, You Li and William A. Ducker
Antibiotics 2022, 11(11), 1633; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11111633 - 16 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1409
Abstract
Pathogenic bacteria can remain viable on fabrics for several days and therefore are a source of infection. Antimicrobial fabrics are a potential method of reducing such infections, and advances in antimicrobial fabrics can be enhanced by knowledge of how the fabric kills bacteria. [...] Read more.
Pathogenic bacteria can remain viable on fabrics for several days and therefore are a source of infection. Antimicrobial fabrics are a potential method of reducing such infections, and advances in antimicrobial fabrics can be enhanced by knowledge of how the fabric kills bacteria. Metal oxides have been considered and used as antimicrobial ingredients in self-sanitizing surfaces, including in clinical settings. In this work, we examine how the addition of cuprous oxide (Cu2O) particles to polypropylene fibers kills bacteria. First, we show that the addition of the Cu2O particles reduces the viability of common hospital pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Streptococcus pneumoniae, by 99.9% after 30 min of contact with the treated polypropylene. Then, we demonstrate that the main killing effect is due to the drying of the bacteria onto the cuprous oxide particles. There is also a weaker effect due to free Cu+ ions that dissolve into the liquid. Other dissolved species were unimportant. Chelation of these Cu+ ions in soluble form or precipitation removes their antimicrobial activity. Full article
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