Why is it in news?

Scientists at IIT Madras have created a new material which can help in fast healing of wounds and preventing infection.

Details

• By embedding silver oxide nanoparticles on silk fibre, scientists have produced a new material that can be used to make patches to help in healing of wounds and in preventing infection. The patch was able to heal scratch wounds completely in 24 hours and also kill pathogens like S. aureus and M.tuberculosis.
• The researchers first tested the mechanical properties of the silk patch. An ideal wound-dressing material should have good thermal insulation and also allow gaseous and fluid exchange in the wound area. The new material was able to maintain the moisture and had ideal water-holding capacity.
• The patch was hydrophilic in nature and its morphology did not change [that is to say] it did not degrade even after 14 days of immersion in phosphate buffer solution (PBS).
• Anti-bacterial activity of the patch against non-pathogenic E.coli and two pathogens S. aureus and M.tuberculosis was tested. The silk patch was found to be more effective than the commercially used antibiotic, ciprofloxacin.
• The exact mechanism behind antimicrobial activity is unknown. Some studies have reported that silver creates ‘pores’ on bacterial cell walls, thereby causing their death.
• In vitro wound healing (scratch assay/cell migration) study revealed faster migration of 3T3 Swiss mouse fibroblast (cells responsible for wound healing) cells to the wound area treated with the silk patch. The wound was completely covered in 24 h.
• Cytotoxicity studies also showed that the silk patch was not harmful to the cell lines.

Conclusion

• This innovation is another example of India’s rapidly expanding scientific prowess and would help further India’s innovation potential.
• This patch would be hugely beneficial for armed forces and emergency response teams of the country to effectively treat wounds in their jobs, which are often under hostile and hazardous conditions and environments.
• If mass produced in a cost effective manner, it can also tremendously help in rural and remote areas, where most jobs require manual labour, infections due to improper treatment of wounds are high and access to required health care is low.

Source

The Hindu