Published in Chemistry World, 28 Jun 2009
Antimicrobial nanoparticles that can cross the, almost impermeable, blood-brain barrier have been created by Asian researchers. This may lead to better treatment for human brain infections such as meningitis and encephalitis, say the team.
Conventional antibiotics do not damage cell walls, but penetrate microbes to target specific actions such as cell division. However, with its morphology persevered, the microbe is still able to develop resistance. For this reason, many researchers have been investigating an alternative: antimicrobial peptides. These peptides do not have specific targets, and instead damage the membranes of microbes through an electrostatic interaction. This damage is hard to repair, and so resistance is prevented. These peptides are particularly useful for combating multidrug resistant microbes. […]
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