Researchers from Turkey have investigated the potential of a hemp cellulose derived material impregnated with an antibiotic for infection treatment.
Hemp fibers possess natural antibacterial and antifungal properties due to the presence of certain cannabinoids, alkaloids, and other bioactive substances. But it appears these attributes can be boosted significantly with the addition of an antibiotic.
In the study out of Tarsus University, hemp cellulose was used along with carbonized nanocellulose (CCN) synthesized from industrial hemp fiber and then shrunk to ≈35 nm particles. Cellulose is a naturally occurring organic compound and the main structural component of plant cell walls.
Ciprofloxacin (CIP) was selected as the model antibiotic for investigation of the antibacterial property of the cellulose. Ciprofloxacin is used in the treatment of many infections, including those related to bones and joints, respiratory tract, skin and the urinary tract.
Subsequent analysis on its effect against bacteria including P. aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus (pictured above) showed while pristine cellulose and CCN had considerable antibacterial properties, adding CIP increased their activity.
At 50 mg mL−1 concentrations, the antibiofilm effectiveness for CCN and cellulose were found to be 52.38% and 4.28% respectively. But the antibiofilm activity of cellulose+CIP boosted this to 86.62%, and for CCN+CIP it was even higher at 94.74%.
Biofilm inhibition is important. Biofilms are communities of microorganisms encased in a self-produced protective matrix and resistant to antimicrobial treatments.
The researchers concluded:
“In the light of our findings, it can be said that various forms of cellulose used in combination with different antibiotics are promising and potent antimicrobial agents that would find wide application areas including but not limited to the pharmaceutical industry and biomedicine fields.
They also stated:
“Cellulose+CIP and CCN+CIP can be used more commonly in the healthcare sector due to their biofilm inhibition properties. In particular, CCN+CIP can be used as an effective biofilm inhibition agent in medical and environmental biotechnology fields.”
The study, which has been published in the journal Cellulose, can be downloaded here.
On a related note, a recent study suggests certain cannabinoids may be useful in the fight against fungal infections that kill millions of people around the world each year.
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