Active ingredients in the ’protective suit’ in the fight against bacteria

The use of nanotechnology offers numerous new possibilities in the development of medicines and the targeted release of active ingredients. One interesting innovation is the use of iron oxide nanoparticles with a special coating. This allows active ingredients to be delivered safely and directly to the affected cells. An international team of scientists with prominent participation from the Medical University of Graz recently published its research results on this topic, drawing attention to potential areas of application in the treatment of infections or in cancer therapy. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are natural substances that attack bacteria by destroying their cell membranes. They could therefore be used to treat bacterial infections, for example, as they have the advantage over conventional antibiotics that they reduce the development of antibiotic resistance. However, Sebastian Schwaminger from the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at the Medical University of Graz describes the reason why AMPs cannot be used without further ado: "Some AMPs can be dangerous not only for bacterial cells, but also for human cells, which currently limits their applicability." An international team of scientists from the Technical University of Munich, the University of Limerick (Ireland), Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands) and the Medical University of Graz has taken up this challenge and published a possible solution for how nanotechnology can enable the widespread use of AMPs.