Scientists from
the University of Nottingham in the UK have fabricated synthetic spider silk
fusing the healing properties of antibiotics which can be used to deliver drugs
and close wounds. After five years in the making, the team lead by Neil Thomas
developed an artificial version of the spider silk from E. coli bacteria. The
curative amalgam was further enhanced when the scientists laced it with
antibiotic molecules and other materials to create a better form of the bandage.
The team's research is published in the journal of Advanced Materials. The team
isn't the first to use spider silk for first aid. Spider silk was first used by
ancient Greeks and Romans to clog the wounds of soldiers that were hurt during
battle. Working with the same idea, the team added some changes to the ancient
practice to make it suitable for the modern day usage. Using an artificial
version of spider silk means that there is no dependence on the spider species,
while combining the material with an antibiotic called levofloxacin makes it
capable of warding off bacterial infections. Spider silk is known to be strong,
biocompatible and biodegradable making it the perfect natural substance for the
research. Furthermore, it isn't known to cause an allergic or inflammatory
reaction in humans. “There is the possibility of using the silk in advanced
dressings for the treatment of slow-healing wounds such as diabetic ulcers.
Using our technique, infection could be prevented over weeks or months by the controlled
release of antibiotics. At the same time tissue regeneration is accelerated by
silk fibres functioning as a temporary scaffold,” said Thomas.
Source: DNA-10th January,2017
