The COVID-19 pandemic is a motivation for material scientists to search for functional materials with valuable properties to alleviate the risks associated with the coronavirus. The formulation of functional materials requires synergistic understanding on the properties of materials and mechanisms of virus transmission and disease progression, including secondary bacterial infections that are prevalent in COVID-19 patients. A viable candidate in the struggle against the pandemic is antimicrobial polymer, due to their favorable properties of flexibility, lightweight, and ease of synthesis. Polymers are the base material for personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, face mask, face shield, and coverall suit for frontliners. Conducting polymers (CPs) are polymers with electrical properties due to the addition of dopant in the polymer structure. The conductivity of polymers augments their antiviral and antibacterial properties. This review discusses the types of CPs and how their properties could be exploited to ward off bacterial infections in hospital settings, specifically in cases involving COVID-19 patients. This review also covers common CPs fabrication techniques. The key components to produce CPs at several possibilities to fit the current needs in fighting secondary bacterial infections are also discussed.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42247-021-00188-4 | DOI Listing |
Phytother Res
January 2025
College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
The rising prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-positive bacteria threatens the effectiveness of current antibiotic therapies. However, the development of new antibiotics has stagnated in recent years, highlighted the critical need for the discovery of innovative antimicrobial agents. This study aims to evaluate the antibacterial activity of naphthoquinones derived from Arnebia euchroma (Royle) Johnst (ADNs) and elucidate their underlying mechanisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Nano
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Biofilm-induced chronic bacterial infections represent a significant challenge in modern medicine due to their resistance to conventional antibiotic treatments. Although photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a promising antibiotic-free antibacterial strategy, the hypoxic condition within biofilms and the lack of an effective local drug delivery system have limited the clinical effectiveness of photosensitizer (PS) agents. Herein, we propose a type of charge regulation-enhanced type I PS-loaded hydrogel dressing for treating biofilm infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Microbiol
December 2024
Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance of Animal Original Bacteria, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
Introduction: The emergence of the wide variety of novel tigecycline resistance (X) variants, including (X3), (X4), (X5), and (X6), has raised a serious threat to global public health and posed a significant challenge to the clinical treatment of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.
Methods: In this study, we evaluated the synergism of tigecycline combining with other antibiotics as a means of overcoming the (X)-mediated resistance in spp. Antibiotic synergistic efficacy was evaluated through chequerboard experiments, time-kill assays and dose-response curves.
The relentless emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, particularly Gram-negative bacteria, highlights the urgent need for novel therapeutic interventions. Drug-resistant infections account for approximately 5 million deaths annually, yet the antibiotic development pipeline has largely stagnated. Venoms, representing a remarkably diverse reservoir of bioactive molecules, remain an underexploited source of potential antimicrobials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGastrointestinal (GI) colonization by methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is associated with a high risk of transmission and invasive disease in vulnerable populations. The immune and microbial factors that permit GI colonization remain unknown. Male sex is correlated with enhanced nasal carriage, skin and soft tissue infections, and bacterial sepsis.
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