Researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of California San Diego have developed a new device that excites a skin-residing bacterium using low-voltage stimulations to stop bacterial infections without using any drugs. The skin patch device is Bioelectronic Localized Antimicrobial Stimulation Therapy (BLAST).
In a new study published in the Cell Press journal Device, researchers tested BLAST on pig skin, achieving a nearly tenfold reduction in bacterial colonization.
Pig skin is generally favored for testing due to its wide similarities in structure and functions. Researchers replicated the environment in a similar way to that of human skin and released Staphylococcus epidermidis.
S. epidermidis is a commonly found bacterium on human skin, which aids in wound healing and proliferates tissue homeostasis. However, a few adverse factors could divert its role towards pathogenicity. Reportedly, S. epidermidis is the second-leading cause of infections caused due to the formation of biofilms.
While antibiotics offer a solution to biofilms, they come with widespread side effects like nausea or drug fever. Also, repeated exposure to antibiotic treatment increases the risk of chronic inflammatory disorders.
Moreover, due to antibiotic overuse, researchers have discovered three strains of S. epidermidis, resistant to all classes of antibiotics. Therefore, bioelectronic methods could have unique applications against bacterial infections.
Researchers could use a high-voltage electroporation for the complete eradication of Staphylococcus. But, given its vital role on our skin, the co-author of the study aims to furnish non-lethal electric stimulations to induce reversible changes in membrane potential.
“Because Staphylococcus is part of the microbial ecosystem that naturally exists on our skin, we prefer not to eradicate it, since their complete absence on our skin could cause other problems,” says the co-senior author Gürol Süel.
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In the study, researchers found that electric pulses excite Staphylococcus in an acidic environment. While the healthy human skin is mildly acidic, the infection wounds tend to be neutral to basic. Therefore, the BLAST was embedded with electrodes and a hydrogel to provide an acidic environment.
During the testing phase, researchers induced a weak electric voltage of 1.5 volts for 10 seconds every 10 minutes for 18 hours.
This electric treatment shows that the pulses stopped the expression of several genes of Staphylococcus, thereby significantly reducing the biofilm formation.
With further experiments and safety measurements, the coauthors have marked it a significant step forward in bioelectronic medicine. Researchers could soon develop a patch with a wireless circuit to treat patients with chronic wounds or medical implants.
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Journal Reference
- Kim et al. “Bioelectronic drug-free control of opportunistic pathogens through selective excitability.” Device. DOI: 10.1016/j.device.2024.100596