Analysis of the antibacterial mechanism in Antimicrobial Nanomaterials

The proposal includes a comprehensive development plan for the quantitative determination of the antibacterial mechanism of solid surfaces fabricated from antimicrobial nanomaterials

Beatriz Liliana España Sánchez

The evaluation of mechanisms of damage in bacteria in contact with antimicrobial agents is critical to designing new materials that avoid bacterial resistance. Nanomaterials with antibacterial/antiviral capacity have represented a viable alternative in developing effective antimicrobials capable of being incorporated into polymers, metals, ceramics, and textiles. However, little is known about the damage process in bacteria due to the effect of contact with nanomaterials. So far, isolated events associated with morphological damage, the induction of oxidative stress, and the breakdown of genetic material have been reported, resulting in bacterial death. During the last 10 years, the multidisciplinary research group of which I am in charge has focused on the design of antimicrobial nanomaterials, which includes the synthesis of nanostructures, their incorporation into polymeric matrices for the manufacture of paints, coatings, and textiles, and finally the microbiological validation of materials in contact with critical pathogenic bacteria that belong to the ESKAPE group), where recent advances have led us to the analysis of bacterial resistance processes induced by contact with specific nanostructures, such as silver or copper. The proposal is to develop a comprehensive strategy for quantifying contact damage in bacteria exposed to any surface formulated with the antimicrobial agent.

The proposal considers the preliminary knowledge about the antibacterial behavior of nanomaterials and their interaction with surfaces. As a result, we considered a multifunctional strategy to determine the antibacterial mechanism of pathogens in the function of the contact time with the solid surface. The above is related to the intrinsic features of the surface and the structural changes in the bacteria at different stages of damage.

*Scientific papers per-reviewed

*Lectures (general audience) about the use of antimicrobial nanomaterials

*Human resources training

Bacterial resistance is currently considered a serious public health problem worldwide. In particular, immunocompromised patients tend to develop infectious diseases that can compromise the patient's life. Using nanomaterials as antimicrobial agents has set the standard in developing sanitation systems that prevent the spread of microorganisms. These nanomaterials have been successfully used in personal protective equipment, face masks, wound dressings, paints, textiles, and surface coatings, already offered on the market. However, little is known about the long-term impact of overexposure of microorganisms to nanoscale materials and whether these microorganisms tend to generate possible adaptation mechanisms to the antimicrobial.

Our proposal is based on previous evidence that indicates that consecutive overexposure of bacteria to nanomaterials can produce genetic variations associated with cellular adaptation mechanisms, which can generate resistance in the long term. The objective is to establish safety margins in using nanomaterials that prevent the generation of bacterial resistance to the new generation of antimicrobial agents.

La evaluación de los mecanismos de adaptación bacteriana al contacto con nanomateriales marcan la pauta para el diseño racional de nuevos materiales a nanoescala con capacidad bactericida que eviten la formación de mecanismos de defensa, tomando en cuenta el tiempo de interacción. Si lo proyectamos hacia los próximos 3 años, se podra mostrar evidencia de la bioseguridad de nanomateriales con fines biomédicos, tomando en cuenta los beneficios en el cuidado de la salud.

The antimicrobial nanomaterials work team has been developing new nanoscale materials capable of eradicating bacteria, fungi, and viruses for more than 10 years, considering manufacturing principles attached to care for the environment, non-toxicity, and therapeutic efficacy in in-house tests. alive. We have developed nanomaterials as wound dressings, where healing processes are accelerated up to 3 times compared to an exposed injury. Key indicators for monitoring the proposal include:

1. Morphological analysis of the surface as a substrate for interaction with bacteria to determine its intrinsic characteristics, such as structure, polarity, and roughness.
2. The controlled interaction of bacteria with the surface, evaluating the kinetics of antibacterial activity upon contact with Gram (+) S. aureus and Gram (-) P. aeruginosa bacteria, to determine the different stages of contact damage.
3. Analysis of bacteria after their interaction with the antibacterial surface, considering the quantification of oxidative stress, microscopic analysis of the bacteria as a function of contact time, and analysis of genomic DNA fragmentation.

Currently, the Mexican government has a crisis of scientific development and innovation since government policies require that frontier knowledge be developed under the precepts of austerity. In this sense, scientific support has been severely cut, so much of our research usually comes from our own resources.

In terms of infrastructure, there are the basics for carrying out the synthesis of nanomaterials on a laboratory scale (100 mL), homemade equipment for the synthesis of polymeric membranes, and infrastructure for the microbiological validation of nanomaterials, using protocols based on standards. AATCC100, ASTM E-21-49 and JIZ-2801.

The main motivation for applying to the Trinity Challenge is that limited multidisciplinary research groups show interest in the long-term scope of antimicrobial nanomaterials and how they can impact health and environmental care. In addition to this, few reports indicate whether, in the long term, the use of new antimicrobial agents is inefficient in the fight against infectious diseases. Historically, we have observed how antibiotics become less useful as microorganisms adapt to their frequent contact. This is of imminent concern, as we may reach the point where antimicrobials become ineffective, which may compromise human health.

Not applicable