Macrophages are cells of the body immune system that have developed to use up particles from the blood which is crucial to their function in avoiding infection, but it also suggests that they can be made use of by some germs which contaminate and grow inside them.
In this study, the research team included polymersomes to macrophages that were infected with bacteria. Their results revealed that the polymersomes were readily taken up by the macrophages and associated with the bacteria inside the cells.
Eleanor Porges, a PhD trainee in the University of Southamptons Faculty of Medicine and very first author on the study said: “What is so appealing about this innovation is that the prescription antibiotics are just released when they get to the place they are needed. We hope by doing this we might be able to use less antibiotic and to even repurpose prescription antibiotics that wouldnt normally be considered reliable.”.
Dr. Nick Evans, Associate Professor in Bioengineering at the University of Southampton included: “What was fascinating is that previous research study has actually involved complicated chemistry to engineer the polymersomes in order to launch the drug at the correct time and place by changes to heat or the pH scale. Our research has shown that this is not needed, that makes their use much less intricate and perhaps simpler to produce for medical use.
” The outcomes of our research study were a genuine team effort, with individuals all gathering from backgrounds in nanotechnology, imaging and microbiology working between Dstl and Southampton. This is what made the information so compelling.”.
The team are now in the early phases of establishing this for scientific application with Dstl, the science inside UK defense and security.
Reference: “Antibiotic-Loaded Polymersomes for Clearance of Intracellular Burkholderia thailandensis” by Eleanor Porges, Dominic Jenner, Adam W. Taylor, James S. P. Harrison, Antonio De Grazia, Alethia R. Hailes, Kimberley M. Wright, Adam O. Whelan, Isobel H. Norville, Joann L. Prior, Sumeet Mahajan, Caroline A. Rowland, Tracey A. Newman and Nicholas D. Evans, 5 November 2021, ACS Nano.DOI: 10.1021/ acsnano.1 c05309.
Burkholderia is a genus of germs that causes a fatal disease called melioidosis. In this research study, the research group included polymersomes to macrophages that were contaminated with bacteria. Their results showed that the polymersomes were easily taken up by the macrophages and associated with the bacteria inside the cells. The group hope this could ultimately lead to patients being treated by injection or inhalation of antibiotic-laden pills, saving lots of lives each year.
Macrophages in Culture. Credit: Adam Taylor
Scientists from the University of Southampton, dealing with colleagues at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), have established a brand-new innovation based on nanoparticles to eliminate hazardous bacteria that conceal inside human cells.
Burkholderia is a genus of bacterium that causes a lethal disease called melioidosis. This disease eliminates 10s of countless people each year, especially in southeast Asia. Antibiotics administered orally or intravenously often dont work very well against it as the bacteria conceal away and grow in white blood cells called macrophages..
New research study, led by Dr. Nick Evans and Dr. Tracey Newman, has revealed that tiny capsules called polymersomes– which are about 1000th the size of a human hair– could be used to carry bug-killing antibiotics right to the website where the germs grow inside the cells. Their findings have been published in the journal ACS Nano.