The antimicrobial properties of gold
Dear colleagues,
Last year, we took advantage of Epiphany to talk about the health benefits of one of the gifts that the Three Wise Men gave to Jesus: myrrh.
This year, although its cost makes it difficult for us to use it in animal health and/or nutrition, we will talk about gold.
Over the years, gold has been a highly valuable metal because governments could put their own currency into circulation, determined or backed by the amount of gold they possessed.
For various reasons, this system ceased to be used in 1971, so today, central banks can issue as much money as they deem appropriate, provided they are able to control the economic instability that this may generate.
Even so, the applications of this metal have multiplied in recent years, and it is now essential for the electronics, aerospace, and jewelry industries, among others. In the case of health and nutrition, it also appears to be an excellent antimicrobial agent.
Gold (Au) is known to be chemically inactive; however, when the size of Au nanoparticles is reduced to dimensions close to 1 nm, it appears that it could kill Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, making it a good option for treating multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.
At the end of this publication, you can find an article that provides a comprehensive review of the current state of research on the antimicrobial properties of Nano Clusters (NC) of metallic nanoparticles, mainly gold and silver.
The article shows that the general mechanisms of metallic nanoantibiotics targeting bacterial infections include: damage to the cell wall and/or membrane, release of metal ions, generation of intracellular ROS, destruction of intracellular components, or release of therapeutic agents. It also notes that metal NC-based nanoantibiotics can be integrated with other therapeutic or functional materials, such as functional peptides, to form complementary nanohybrids with enhanced antibacterial effects.
We hope you enjoy the article and that the Three Wise Men are generous with you.
