The new anti-bacterial gel based on silver and sulfur-containing amino acids may be one hundred times more effective than other silver-based antibacterials.

A new anti-bacterial gel based on silver and sulfur-containing amino acids may be one hundred times more effective than other silver-based antibacterials, according to research in the Journal of Materials Chemistry B.

The proposed medication is inexpensive, non-toxic and easy to synthesize, which means it could potentially be used to cure hospital-acquired infections. 

New methods for producing antibacterial preparations are needed to ensure that the microorganisms not to develop resistance to drugs.

Enter silver. 

This metal has antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal properties. The silver nanoparticles have shown their effectiveness in wound dressings, implants, and catheters. To obtain such nanoparticles, scientists often use expensive and toxic materials that may sometimes leave traces in the structure of the drug and that can be unsafe for humans.

Now, scientists of Tver State University and their colleagues have synthesized silver nanoparticles via an eco-friendly technology that doesn’t require toxic reactants. The scientists replaced hazardous substances with sulphur amino acids. These molecules reduce silver from its salts, create a gel and retain its structure. Due to these properties, it has become easier to create gels with silver nanoparticles. This makes it possible to stop using noxious chemicals and doesn’t require any specific conditions, which simplifies the process.

The authors tested the gel’s anti-bacterial abilities on ESKAPE bacteria colonies. ESKAPE is a group of microorganisms that include six bacteria, namely, Enterococcus, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas and Enterobacter, which are antibiotic-resistant. 

The anti-bacterial gel is a hundred times more effective at inhibiting growth of microorganisms and formation of biofilms than other well-known drugs based on silver, the researchers reported.

"Our technology is simple, non-toxic and cheap enough to be easily scaled up. Due to this, it can be used in drug synthesis for the treatment of various diseases: acute, chronic and hospital-acquired bacterial infections,” says study author Dmitry Vishnevetskii, candidate of chemical sciences and an associate professor in the department of physical chemistry at Tver State University in Russia. “ In the future, we plan to test the gels on lab animals in order to determine the gel’s safety and effectiveness.”

CAPTION:A synthesis scheme of gels and their microstructure

CREDIT: Vishnevetskii et al. / Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 2023