How Nanoparticles Reveal Vinegar's Secret Antibacterial Power

Most often bacterial infections cause a serious health risk by slowing the wound healing time, especially in people with chronic health conditions such as diabetes and cancer (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Cobalt-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots Work Synergistically with Weak Acetic Acid to Eliminate Antimicrobial-Resistant Bacterial Infections

Go to source). Even though vinegar (acetic acid) has been used as traditional wound healing disinfectant, it only kills certain range of bacteria, leaving dangerous species unaffected.

Scientists have developed a powerful wound healing approach by enhancing the power of normal vinegar.

Cobalt containing carbon Nanoparticles when mixed with vinegar, they efficiently kill harmful antimicrobial resistant pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Enterococcus faecalis, promoting safe and smooth wound healing.

How the Carbon and Cobalt Combination Kills Bacteria

New research led by researchers at University of Bergen in Norway, QIMR Berghofer and Flinders University in Australia has resulted in the ability to boost the natural bacterial killing qualities of vinegar by adding antimicrobial nanoparticles made from carbon and cobalt. The findings have been published in the international journal ACS Nano.

Molecular biologists Dr. Adam Truskewycz and Professor Nils Halberg found these particles could kill several dangerous bacterial species, and their activity was enhanced when added to a weak vinegar solution.

The Synergistic Mechanism of Bacterial Destruction

As part of the study, Dr. Truskewycz and Professor Halberg added cobalt-containing carbon quantum dot nanoparticles to weak acetic acid (vinegar) to create a potent antimicrobial treatment. They used this mixture against several pathogenic species, including the drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Enterococcus faecalis.

Dr. Truskewycz said the acidic environment from the vinegar made bacterial cells swell and take up the nanoparticle treatment.

“Once exposed, the nanoparticles appear to attack dangerous bacteria from both inside the bacterial cell and also on its surface, causing them to burst. Importantly, this approach is non-toxic to human cells and was shown to remove bacterial infections from mice wounds without affecting healing,” he said.

Combating a Global Health Crisis

The anti-bacterial boost in vinegar found in the study could potentially be an important contribution towards the ongoing battle against the rising antimicrobial resistance levels worldwide, with an estimated 4.5 million deaths associated with a direct infectious disease.

Professor Halberg said this study showed how nanoparticles could be used to increase the effectiveness of traditional bacterial treatments.

“Combination treatments such as the ones highlighted in this study may help to curb antimicrobial resistance. Given this issue can kill up to 5 million people each year, it’s vital we look to find new ways of killing pathogens like viruses, bacteria and fungi or parasites,” he said.

Reference:

1. Cobalt-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots Work Synergistically with Weak Acetic Acid to Eliminate Antimicrobial-Resistant Bacterial Infections - (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.5c03108)

Source-Eurekalert