Naturally produced nitric oxide may offer a new approach to combating skin and wound infections. A study led by scientists at the University of Reading found that the slow release of nitric oxide using tiny particles helps survive bacterially infected wax moth larvae and provides a different mechanism of action than traditional antibiotics for infections that are difficult to eradicate. The findings were published in the Journal of Drug Delivery Science & Technology.

The core issue the research team focused on was that while nitric oxide has clear antibacterial potential, its rapid decomposition makes it difficult to use directly as a drug. To address this, the researchers encapsulated nitric oxide into particles smaller than dust, allowing for slow release over several hours. Professor Vitaly Huttorianski of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Reading explained that antibiotics are becoming increasingly ineffective at killing bacteria, necessitating treatments that work in different ways; nitric oxide attacks bacteria from multiple angles, making them relatively less prone to developing resistance. The key is finding a way to store and slowly release it.

In the experiment, researchers first infected wax moth larvae with bacteria that cause skin infections, then injected them with nitric oxide-releasing particles an hour later, and observed them for three days. Most of the untreated larvae died on the first day, while the survival rate of the treated larvae was approximately 90%, compared to about 60% in the untreated group. Another experiment with glass bottles showed that after particle treatment, the number of bacteria inside the bottles was reduced by 10,000 to 100,000 times compared to the untreated group.

This study did not use mice or rats, but instead used wax moth larvae. Each larva weighs about a quarter of a gram, but its body's way of fighting pathogens is similar to that of humans, making it suitable for preliminary testing of the safety and efficacy of therapies in live organisms, thus reducing reliance on mammalian experiments. Huttoryansky's team is also developing testing methods using insects, worms, and other invertebrates for researching new drugs and drug delivery systems.

Researchers point out that more research is needed before these particles can be used for human treatment. Current results indicate that the sustained-release nitric oxide strategy has potential for further exploration in terms of antibacterial activity and infection survival, but it is still far from clinical application.