Natural plant extracts will be effective in the future
Recently, in a study published in the international journal Polymers, scientists from James Cook University have developed a new technology that can combine tea tree oil, such asNatural plant extractsUsed as a coating for medical apparatus, this process effectively inhibits the occurrence of millions of infections each year.
Approximately 17 million new biofilm-associated bacterial infections occur each year in the United States alone, and cause approximately 550,000 deaths. About 80% of surgical-associated infections worldwide are associated with bacterial biofilms. Researcher Mohan Jacob said, In this study, we were able to convert plant-based products (PSMs, secondary metabolites) into polymer coatings on the surface of medical apparatus, including some implantables.
PSMs are derived from essential oils and herbal extracts, which have relatively strong broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, are a renewable resource in commercial quantities, have limited toxicity, and have potentially different molecular mechanisms against bacterial infections than synthetic antibiotics. This research could help solve some of the ongoing problems of how to convert plant extracts from liquid form into a solid state for use as coatings on medical apparatus without significantly reducing their effectiveness.
Researcher Dr. Katia Bazaka said, We can use plasma enhancement technology in a reactor containing essential oil vapors. When the vapors are exposed to glow discharge, they are converted into a solid bioactive coating attached to the surface of the implant, which has also been shown to have good antibacterial properties. The main advantage of this method is that researchers do not use other chemicals such as solvents during the manufacturing process, so there are no potentially harmful toxic chemicals in the coating of medical apparatus, and it does not damage the surface of the coating material, and it is also more environmentally friendly during use.
Recently, researchers have extended this research to target marine organisms, thereby inhibiting the growth and subsequent failure of biofilms on aquatic sensors. Another key feature of these coatings is their optical transparency, for example, they can also coat contact lenses and promote the greater effectiveness of underwater sensors.
