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Antimicrobial properties of nitric oxide and its application in antimicrobial formulations and medical devices

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Abstract

This review describes the antimicrobial properties of nitric oxide (NO) and its application as an antimicrobial agent in different formulations and medical devices. We depict the eukaryotic biosynthesis of NO and its physiologic functions as a cell messenger and as an antimicrobial agent of the cell-mediated immune response. We analyze the antimicrobial activity of NO and the eukaryotic protective mechanisms against NO for the purpose of delineating the therapeutic NO dosage range required for an efficacious and safe antimicrobial activity. We also examine the role of NO produced by virulent bacteria in lessening the efficacy of traditional antimicrobials. In addition, we discuss the efficacy of NO in the healing of infected wounds, describing different NO-producing devices by category, analyzing therapeutic levels, duration of NO production, as well as commercial considerations. Finally, we provide current and future prospects for the design and use of NO-producing devices.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge financial support from the Industrial Research Assistance Program of the National Research Council of Canada (IRAP-NRC) and from Micropharma Limited.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biomedical Technology and Cell Therapy Research Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physiology, Artificial Cells and Organs Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, 3775 University Street, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada

    Mitchell Lawrence Jones & Satya Prakash

  2. Micropharma Limited, 141 avenue du President Kennedy, UQAM, Biological Sciences Building, 5th Floor, Suite 5569, Montreal, QC, H2X3Y7, Canada

    Jorge Gabriel Ganopolsky, Alain Labbé & Christopher Wahl

Authors
  1. Mitchell Lawrence Jones
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  2. Jorge Gabriel Ganopolsky
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  3. Alain Labbé
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  4. Christopher Wahl
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  5. Satya Prakash
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Correspondence to Satya Prakash.

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Jones, M.L., Ganopolsky, J.G., Labbé, A. et al. Antimicrobial properties of nitric oxide and its application in antimicrobial formulations and medical devices. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 88, 401–407 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-010-2733-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-010-2733-x

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