Over the past several years, we've all become pretty familiar with alcohol-based hand-sanitizing gels. A new type of gel is said to kill just as many microbes, but it does so for much longer … and it doesn't dry out your skin.
Developed by Assoc. Prof. Elizabeth Brisbois and colleagues at the University of Georgia, the experimental gel's active ingredient is a molecule known as nitric oxide. It occurs naturally in the body, where it plays a key role in fighting infections. The molecule is already utilized in antibacterial medications used for the treatment of wounds and acne.
When the NORel (Nitric Oxide Releasing) gel was tested on excised rabbit skin, it was found to rapidly eradicate over 97% of harmful microorganisms such as E. coli and antibiotic-resistant S. aureus bacteria, along with C. albicans yeast. This was similar to the effect of traditional sanitizing gels containing 62% ethyl alcohol.
Whereas the antimicrobial effect of the alcohol-based gels diminished within 30 to 60 minutes as they evaporated from the skin, however, the NORel retained its full effect for up to two hours. Additional ingredients such as ethanol, tea tree oil and glycerin boost the effect of the nitric oxide, while also providing moisturizing qualities that keep the gel from drying out the skin.
And importantly, because nitric oxide is a gasotransmitter molecule with a short half-life, microbes shouldn't develop a resistance to it over time. Further research will focus on testing NORel's effect on other infectious agents, such as viruses, and on extending its shelf life.
"Regular hand sanitizers with alcohol in them do a pretty good job at killing bacteria when you apply them initially. We showed that the nitric oxide persists on the skin for a longer period of time, so it’s kind of an extended protective effect," says Brisbois. "That was the most exciting result."
A paper on the research was recently published in the journal Biomaterials Science.
Source: University of Georgia
