Treating wounds by applying electricity to the skin
The health magazine ‘Health Day’ reported that the number of staphylococci on the skin was reduced by 10 times by using a skin patch to pass a low-voltage current that cannot be felt by humans. ‘Staphylococcus aureus’ is widely distributed in the natural world and is a causative bacteria that causes not only food poisoning but also purulent diseases such as skin purulence, otitis media, and cystitis.
“This opens up the possibility of treating skin infections and wounds without drugs and combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria,” said Bajtian, a professor of chemistry at the University of Chicago.
Researchers came up with the idea of using electricity in a situation where antibiotic-resistant bacteria are considered a major threat. It is estimated that approximately 1.3 million people died worldwide in 2019 due to drug-resistant infections.
The researchers chose Staphylococcus as the subject of study because it can cause serious infections if it enters the human body through a wound. There are also three strains of staphylococcus that are resistant to all antibiotics.
Researchers found that microcurrent was effective against staph bacteria on the skin, but only in acidic environments. Healthy human skin is slightly acidic, but chronic wounds are often neutral to slightly basic.
Under ideal acidic conditions, a weak current of 1.5V is undetectable to humans and has been shown to eliminate 99% of bacteria. However, at neutral pH, electricity had no effect on bacteria.
Based on this information, the researchers designed a skin patch called ‘Bioelectronic Localized Antimicrobial Stimulation Therapy (BLAST)’.
The patch has electrodes that transmit electrical current and a water-based gel that creates an acidic environment. After an 18-hour treatment cycle, the BLAST patch reduced the amount of staphylococci on pig skin by almost 10-fold. The same effect was seen when the patch was attached to a bacterially contaminated catheter (a thin rubber or metal tube used to drain body contents).
The researchers said, “Not much research has been done on the electrical response of bacteria because we do not know the specific conditions under which bacteria will be stimulated. This study will help find ways to control other bacterial species by looking at various conditions.” He said.
Electricity is used to manage various human diseases. A pacemaker uses electricity to maintain a constant heart rate, and an eye implant stimulates the retina with electricity to partially restore vision.
Source: kormedi.com
