Wound healing is a complex process that involves a combination of various factors to work together. For the most part, the majority of wounds require the use of dressings which not only protect wounds but also enhance the healing process and prevention of infections.
Commercial coatings in wound dressing usually contain silver and other nanoparticles, which can have toxic reactions in the body. Aside from this, they can sometimes promote antibiotic resistance that causes delays in wound healing.
Utilizing the Potential of Plasma Technology
At Flinders University, researchers have made a significant breakthrough in wound care using an innovative approach. The research team deployed an argon atmospheric plasma jet to transform Spirulina maxima, a blue-green microalgae, into ultrathin bioactive coating.
There are currently no commercially available dressings that can fight and protect wounds from infection at the same time while modulating inflammation and stimulating the healing process. According to Dr. Vi Khanh Truong from the Flinders University Biomedical Nano-Engineering Laboratory, their team has been using plasma coating technology to turn any biomass into a sustainable high-end coating, and their approach is the first of its kind.
Plasma technology refers to using ionized gas to create a highly reactive environment. This environment can be used in modifying the surface of materials such as wound dressings. Extract of Spirulina maxima has been known to be effective in treating skin disorders like psoriasis, eczema, and other skin conditions. Using plasma technology, researchers can modify the surface of microalgae coating to make it even more effective.
The bioactive coating of microalgae helps prevent bacterial infection and promotes wound healing with its potent anti-inflammatory properties. This novel approach holds promise in treating chronic wounds, which usually pose challenges due to prolonged healing.
Research co-author Krasimir Vasilev says this new technology can provide better solutions to commercial products like copper, gold, and silver coatings. The plasma-facilitated downstream processing improves the extraction and purification of valuable compounds from biomass without using harmful solvents and a lot of energy input.
READ ALSO: Tiny Electric Generators Can Help With Accelerated Wound Healing Process
Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance
According to the World Health Organization, antimicrobial resistance is one of the major public health threats faced by humanity in the 21st century. It is associated with the death of about 5 million people in 2019 and is assumed to cost global economies $1 trillion by 2050 if no appropriate action is taken.
Genetic changes in common bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus can cause them to become resistant to multiple antibiotics. As a result, a strain of bacteria known as "superbugs" is formed.
Vasilev claims that their bioactive coating can be an important tool in fighting antibiotic resistance. The emergence of bacterial silver resistance in wound care poses a serious health problem. The kind of protection the novel coating provides reduces the need for antibiotics and the associated problems with bacterial resistance.
The research team is now exploiting avenues to commercialize their unique technology. They believe that the technology will provide a market advantage to manufacturers of medical wound dressing. By reaching hospitals, their innovation can also make a difference to patients and healthcare providers.
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