Tag Archives: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Skin sprays and dressings based on berry extracts and nanocellulose can prevent microbes

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There’s an August 27, 2024 news item on Nanowerk that offers intriguing information about an application for nancellulose,

VTT [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland] has developed a skin spray, based on nanocellulose and antimicrobial compounds from wild berries, which can be used to treat wounds and eliminate hospital-acquired bacteria such as MRSA [methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus] before surgery. The product can also be applied as a cream, transdermal patch or wound dressing.

“The fast-acting surgical spray and efficacious dressing are based on a manufacturing process we have developed, where the surface and pores of a nanocellulose film are impregnated with a berry extract so that the antimicrobial compounds do not get trapped inside the fibre network. VTT has more than 15 years of experience in the laboratory-scale and pilot-scale manufacturing of nanocellulose gels and films”, says Panu Lahtinen, a Senior Scientist at VTT.

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An August 27, 2024 VTT press release, which originated the news item, provides more detail about their nanocellulose/berry extract spray and what amounts to a business announcement,

The next step for the berry extract, which is produced using VTT InnoBerry Technologies™ manufacturing method, is to find companies interested in developing, producing and commercialising the products, so they can be launched onto the market in the next few years.
 

In nature, berry compounds protect the seed

The surface of berry seeds is rich in antimicrobial compounds, so berry extracts are useful for food, cosmetic and medical applications. The role of these compounds in nature is to protect the seed from microbes such as moulds before germination, but they can also help prevent the growth of dangerous microbes on human skin. Even a tiny amount of berry extract can kill pathogenic bacteria such as MRSA without harming the skin’s beneficial microbiota.

Berries are used to make juice, but significant quantities of press cake remain as a by-product after processing. This press cake contains the berry skin and seeds, which are rich in antimicrobial compounds. VTT has developed technologies to generate press-cake extracts enriched with these compounds, or to produce the key molecules in cultivated plant cells using plant biotechnology, which allows year-round production unaffected by variations in the berry harvest.

For more than 20 years, VTT has been studying the health benefits of arctic berries and their antimicrobial properties. These studies have shown that berries contain antimicrobial phenolic compounds, such as ellagitannins, that kill pathogenic bacteria effectively. Such compounds can be recovered from the press cake using VTT’s patented dry and wet fractionation technologies followed by environmentally friendly hydrothermal extraction without the use of harmful solvents. 

The berry extract developed by VTT can also replace the use of synthetic preservatives in cosmetics and nanosilver formulations in wound-care products. 

“Our research has identified antimicrobial compounds in several wild berries, including sea buckthorn, bilberry, strawberry, cloudberry, lingonberry and raspberry. Large-scale production is easiest to achieve from raspberry because there is sufficient raw material. To process the seeds, it’s necessary to find a company that is experienced in this task in the value chain,” says Kirsi-Marja Oksman-Caldentey, Associate Professor and Senior Advisor at VTT.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are one of the greatest medical challenges

The World Health Organization (WHO) includes antibiotic-resistant bacteria among the top ten global health challenges. There has been an increase in the number of difficult-to-treat wound infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a severe pathogen. MRSA is quite common in the Finnish population, with around 20% of Finns unknowingly carrying these bacteria. If MRSA enters a wound, for example during surgery, it can be fatal.  

Scientific references

Natural antimicrobials from cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus) seeds by sanding and hydrothermal extraction. ACS Food Sci. Technol. 

Reduction of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus biofilm growth and development by arctic berry extracts. Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.

Sanguiin H-6 fractionated from cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus) seeds can prevent the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus biofilm development during wound infection. Antibiotics

I found more information about VTT on its What is VTT? webpage,

VTT is a visionary research and innovation partner for companies and society

VTT is one of Europe’s leading research institutions. We are owned by the Finnish state. We advance the utilisation and commercialisation of research and technology in commerce and society. Through scientific and technological means, we turn large global challenges into sustainable growth for businesses and society. We bring together people, business, science and technology to solve the biggest challenges of our time. This is how we create sustainable growth, jobs and wellbeing and bring exponential hope.

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There’s a less exuberant description in the Wikipedia entry for the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Note: Links have been removed,

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd is a state-owned and controlled non-profit limited liability company.[5] VTT is the largest research and technology company and research centre conducting applied research in Finland. It provides research and innovation services and information for domestic and international customers and partners, both in private and public sectors.[6]

VTT is part of Finland’s innovation system and operates under the mandate of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.[7]

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According to the Wikipedia entry’s ‘History’ subsection, VTT’s origin year is 1942.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and nanotech biosensors

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First mentioned here in an Aug. 19, 2014 posting in the context of a 2013 NATO workshop, the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI; located in Massachusetts, US) is co-organizing a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) workshop to be held in 2014 in Turkey about nanoscale sensors for chemical and biological weapons. A Sept. 14, 2014 news item on Nanowerk provides a general description,

Advancing the front lines of research for the detection and decontamination of chemical and biological threats is the mission of an international scientific workshop organized by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and the Georgian National Academy of Sciences, and is sponsored by the Science for Peace and Security Programme of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

A Sept. 11, 2014 WPI news release, which originated the news item gives details, not available for the Aug. 2014 posting, about specific biological/chemical weapons to be discussed ,

Part of NATO’s Advanced Research Workshop series, the event is titled “Nanotechnology to Aid Chemical and Biological Defense” and will take place September 22-26 in Antalya, Turkey.

The workshop will focus on nanoscale science and technology as applied to pathogens like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Francisella tularensis (tularemia), and Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax. The goal is to eventually engineer new materials that can detect and defend against many biological and chemical agents at the atomic and molecular levels.

“Our hope is that by sharing the latest science and discussing the key challenges in the field we can accelerate technology development to help protect people around the world from these terrible threats,” said Terri Camesano, professor of chemical engineering and dean of graduate studies at WPI, who is the lead organizer and co-chair of the workshop.

More than 20 leading researchers from Europe and the United States, along with graduate students from their labs and collaborating institutions, will participate in four days of presentations and rigorous discussions on a wide range of aspects relevant to biological and chemical threats. In addition to co-chairing the event, Camesano will present a talk about the potential to use naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides to detect biological threats. The workshop is co-chaired by Giorgi Kvesitadze, president of the Georgian Academy of Sciences in Tiblisi, who will present current research on how certain microorganisms and plants metabolize toxins.

You can find the latest version of the NATO ARW (Advanced Research Workshop series) programme for the meeting in Turkey.