Web Desk(August 17, 2017): Using a combination of electricity and silver, researchers in Sweden have developed a new method for preventing bacterial growth on plastics.
The breakthrough could prove a godsend for hospitals, where plastics are ubiquitous and bacterial infections are a constant risk.
Scientists have known about the antimicrobial qualities of electricity and silver nanoparticles, both individually and in combination. But both pose risks to human health.
However, new experiments suggest the two can be used together in low quantities and concentrations. Researchers were able to keep plastics bacteria free using safe amounts of electricity and silver nanoparticles.
“By targeting the bacteria on several fronts at the same time, the effect of different small attacks becomes larger than when each factor is acting on its own,” Agneta Richter-Dahlfors, a researcher at the Swedish Medical Nanoscience Center at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, said in a news release.
“It’s a phenomenon known as the bioelectric effect, whereby electrical fields weaken bacterial cells against external attacks,” said Salvador.
“We use electrical signals to increase the antimicrobial activity of the silver nanoparticles. This reduces the amount of silver needed, which is beneficial for both the patient and the environment.”
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