Antimicrobial use of reactive oxygen therapy: current insights

Abstract

Infections caused by drug-resistant pathogens are a global public health problem. The introduction of a new antimicrobial strategy is an unavoidable option for the management of drug-resistant pathogens. Induction of high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by several procedures has been extensively studied for the treatment of infections. In this article, the general aspects of ROS production and the common procedures that exert their antimicrobial effects due to ROS formation are reviewed. ROS generation is the antimicrobial mechanism of nanoparticles, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, medical honey, and photodynamic therapy. In addition, it is an alternative bactericidal mechanism of clinically traditional antibiotics. The development of ROS delivery methods with a desirable selectivity for pathogens without side effects for the host tissue may be a promising approach for the treatment of infections, especially those caused by drug-resistant organisms.

Guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of foot infection in persons with diabetes (IWGDF 2019 update)

“…Many DFUs fail to heal, and colonising microorganisms may play a role in this process. HBOT, in addition to its purported ulcer healing benefits, is also believed to have a variety of antimicrobial effects in soft tissue and bone . Thus, it is reasonable to consider whether or not adjunctive HBOT might help cure various types of DFIs.…”

“…HBOT, in addition to its purported ulcer healing benefits, is also believed to have a variety of antimicrobial effects in soft tissue and bone. [165][166][167][168][169][170] In addition to systemic HBOT, high levels of oxygen can be delivered to a wound by local or topical methods. 174 Although various methods of topical oxygen therapy have been investigated for decades, there are only a few published case reports in patients and insufficient evidence to support using this form of adjunctive treatment to address infection.…”

Identification of carbonylated proteins in a bactericidal process induced by curcumin with blue light irradiation on imipenem‐resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

“…In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a list of antibiotic‐resistant “priority pathogens”, in part intending to encourage the development of new antimicrobial drugs. Due to the slow development of new antibiotics, many alternative treatments to antibiotics have been proposed, such as bacteriophage therapy, phage endolysins, bacteriocins, and antimicrobial photodynamic treatment …”

“…bacteriophage therapy, 2 phage endolysins, 3 bacteriocins, 4 and antimicrobial photodynamic treatment. 5 Photodynamic treatment (PDT) is the use of light-activation of a photosensitizing compound to generate highly reactive oxygen species (ROS) which can damage nearly all types of biomolecules (proteins, lipids and nucleic acids) and kill cells. 5 PDT has long been studied as a treatment for cancers.…”

“…5 Photodynamic treatment (PDT) is the use of light-activation of a photosensitizing compound to generate highly reactive oxygen species (ROS) which can damage nearly all types of biomolecules (proteins, lipids and nucleic acids) and kill cells. 5 PDT has long been studied as a treatment for cancers. 6 However, starting from the 1990s, it was noticed that PDT could be a powerful antimicrobial strategy.…”