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Gold’s antibacterial properties can be used to create antibiotics that fight multidrug-resistant bacteria.
The problems caused by the misuse of antibiotics and the bacteria that develop a resistance to the medication are already known. According to researchers from the Institute of Global Health in Barcelona, the solution to this problem may be simpler than it seems — the gold.
Scientists had very promising results when they used 19 components of gold to fight against various types of multiresistant batteries isolated from patients, writes New Atlas.
The antibacterial properties of gold were already known and this is not the first time that this metal has been touted as a possible lifesaver.
Metalloantibiotics are compounds with a gold ion in their core and have the potential to kill bacteria and halt their adaptation so that they develop drug resistance by stopping enzymes from working and damaging their DNA.
The team tested the gold compounds against insects, including Staphylococcus aureus methicillin resistant (MRSA), Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Acinetobacter baumannii and bacterial pneumonia.
The results showed that 16 out of 19 components have a high efficacy against MRSA and S. epidermis and 16 were also effective against gram-negative bacteria – the types most resistant to current antibiotics.
“It is particularly exciting to see that some of the gold complexes were effective against MRSA and A. baumannii multidrug resistant, since they are the two main causes of nosocomial infections. O future is bright for gold-based antibiotics,” explained Sara Soto Gonzalez of the Barcelona institute.
This research is still in the preliminary stages, but the researchers point out that the development of these antibiotics will be simple and cheap.
“The type of gold complex we studied, known as a gold(III) complex, is relatively simple and inexpensive to produce. They can also be easily modified and thus provide a wide range for drug development”, reinforces Soto Gonzalez.
ZAP // 
