Ag has been used locally and by word of mouth to help treat wounds for over two thousand years , though the exact mechanism of how it was help oneself was a mystery . unexampled research from Boston University explains silver ’s antimicrobic dimension and shows that when facile ions are tot to antibiotic drug , it can be 10 - 1,000 times more effective than just using the antibiotic alone .
And now , for the two - millenary - old question : how does it all work?The silver itself does not kill the bacterium . It make oxygen compound that are quite reactive . Even modest amounts of silvery compromise the bacteria ’s protective membrane , allowing the antibiotic to have better access to the inside . Without the security from the tissue layer , the bacteria has no defense against the drug and ultimately dies . Principle investigator James Collins remarks , “ It ’s not so much a eloquent bullet ; more a silver spoonful to serve the Gram - negative bacterium take their medicine . ”
There is an ever - grow tilt of bacteria that does not respond to medication due to abuse of antibiotics . Most notably , antibiotic are given to stock , patient role take antibiotic until they feel well and do not finish the cps , and then surplus antibiotic drug are incline of incorrectly , potentially contaminating groundwater . This has result in “ superbugs ” that are resistant to the effects of antibiotics . As a result , the number of deaths from infections are continuing to arise every year all over the world . Researchers hope that this handling proficiency will be a step forward in combating those bacteria , save hundreds of thousands of lives each year worldwide .
However , before the silver gets released for unwritten employment in humans , a very pressing topic needs to be addressed : toxicity . In gravid quantities , silver can cause pelt to permanently turn a blue - gray colour in a condition known asargyria . Additionally , it can be toxic to otherwise healthy tissue . In spitefulness of these concern , the vista of using silvery ion with antibiotics is still quite promising . Future research seek to feel out which properties of Ag are producing the welfare to find an alternative substance with similar antimicrobial which could be used in its place without any toxic side effect .
