Scientists in the UK have developed copper nanoparticles that can be coated onto implanted medical devices to cut the risk of infection after operations.
The Nottingham Trent University study also held out hope that the breakthrough could tackle the over-reliance on antibiotics that has often fuelled antibiotic resistance. In 2019 there were 1.27M deaths globally directly attributable to antibiotic resistance, with estimates It could hit 10M by 2050, making it the single greatest cause of death globally.
The researchers created the nanoparticles as an anti-pathogenic coating suitable for use on a range of medical device materials, including silicone, stainless steel and titanium. Modern medicine is seeing a rise in the use of implanted medical devices to support and improve patients’ quality of life with the most common being intravascular, orthopaedic, dental and cardiovascular implants.
Silver has most often led antimicrobial research in everything from food storage to surgical dressings, but silver is susceptible to oxidation and can lose its effectiveness over time which is not a problem with copper.
In tests the copper coating also protected against a range of clinically relevant bacteria, including multi-drug resistant strains.The coating also remained non-toxic to human cells.
“Developing antimicrobial coatings for medical devices can have a significant impact on the prevalence and severity of infections,” Dr. Samantha McLean, Associate Professor of Infection Prevention and Control at Nottingham Trent University, said.
“We have found that copper oxide nanoparticles offer promising antimicrobial properties against a range of pathogens, addressing the urgent issue of antibiotic resistance.”
Copper has long been seen as antimicrobial going back centuries and has emerged more recently as an effective barrier to stop the spread of disease and infections in hospitals and other clinical settings.
