Nano technologies -
Silver Nanoparticles for Antibacterial and Antiviral
Applications
Introduction
The use of antibacterial agents is
widespread and can be seen in many products ranging
from cosmetics to household cleaners. All tend to rely
on alcohol- or triclosan-based ingredients to eliminate
pathogens; however, the use of triclosan in antibacterial
products has been suspected of causing new antibiotic-resistant
bacteria. There is a need for a new agent that can be
used in antibacterial applications that will be effective
against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. There is also
a pressing need for an antiviral substance that could
help prevent the spread of viral infections, such as
in sexually transmitted diseases. Current methods of
preventing the spread of STDs, in particular, the AIDS
virus, have been limited to the use of condoms. Their
common misuse and instances of perforation have led
to a continued increase in disease transmission.
Invention Description
This technology relies on the use
of silver nanoparticles as an antibacterial and antiviral
agent. These silver nanoparticles exhibit strong antibacterial
properties and information has also been generated that
demonstrates the ability of silver nanoparticles to
deactivate HIV at concentrations with little to no cytotoxicity.
This provides the basis for products that can be used
to inhibit the sexual transmission of HIV as well as
the spread of other sexually transmitted diseases. This
new technology is inexpensive to manufacture and compatible
with many products currently on the market.
Benefits
Inexpensive
Long-term disease prevention
Short-term disease prevention
Convenient
Easily available
Coexists with existing technologies
Cosmetically transparent
Features
Topically applied and therefore
non-intrusive
Utilizes antiviral aspects of silver
nanoparticles
Uses non-toxic levels of silver
nanoparticles
Can be offered as a cream, gel
or foam for easy application
Market Potential/Applications
This technology can be applied to
the pharmaceutical industry, to chemical companies,
body care product companies, and disease prevention
companies, and could be used to manufacture clothing
with antiviral and antibacterial properties. This could
be readily adapted for use in cosmetic and medicinal
products including lotions, creams, toothpastes, detergents,
soaps, cosmetics, surface cleaners, antibacterial-/antiviral-embedded
products, and ointments.
IP Status
One U.S. Patent Application filed
UT Researcher
Miguel Jose Yacaman, Ph. D., Department
of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at
Austin
