antimicrobial tagged posts

A new study conducted in mice demonstrates precisely how triclosan, an antimicrobial found in many household items, including some toothpastes, toys and thousands of other products, can trigger gut inflammation.

Increasingly, research links triclosan with the gut microbiome and gut inflammation. A new study looks at the potential for combating damage to the intestine. The findings suggest new approaches for improving the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

An international team of researchers led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Hong Kong Baptist University identified the bacteria, and even specific enzymes, that trigger triclosan’s harmful effects...

The antimicrobial properties of silver have been known for centuries. While it is still a mystery as to exactly how silver kills bacteria, University of Arkansas researchers have taken a step toward better understanding the process by looking at dynamics of proteins in live bacteria at the molecular level.

Traditionally, the antimicrobial effects of silver have been measured through bioassays, which compare the effect of a substance on a test organism against a standard, untreated preparation...

Biofilms composed of Streptococcus mutans–a common cause of tooth decay–were much easier to remove when grown on a newly developed dental material (right image), which has an antimicrobial agent within it, compared to a control material.

Dentists rely on composite materials to perform restorative procedures, eg. filling cavities. Yet these materials, like tooth enamel, can be vulnerable to the growth of plaque, the sticky biofilm that leads to tooth decay. Researchers have evaluated a new dental material tethered with an antimicrobial compound that can not only kill bacteria but can also resist biofilm growth...

Active packaging extends food’s shelf life

KTU researchers are creating biodegradable food packaging materials, which, in addition, will also keep food fresh for longer. This innovation would solve 2 problems at once: assist in cutting down packaging waste and in reducing the number of food-borne illnesses. On average a European country citizen produces around 160 kilos of packaging waste; ~19% of which is plastic. “Food packaging is mainly made from various plastics, which are being produced from non-renewable sources and are non-biodegradable. Also, it is not always possible to recycle them as leftovers from food amount to almost 50% of the packaging waste,” says Paulius Pavelas Danilovas, KTU.

Headed by Danilovas, the team of researchers at the KTU Department of Polymer Chemistry and ...