Metal copper and silver revealed potent antimicrobial activity for treating infected with .

OBJECTIVES

The increasing issue of bacterial resistance, coupled with inadequate progress in developing new antibiotics, necessitates exploring alternative treatments. Antibacterial biomaterials, such as silver and copper, possess advantageous properties such as heat resistance, durability, continuity, and safety. Particularly, they can effectively eliminate pathogenic bacteria while preserving cellular integrity, emphasizing the necessity of identifying optimal metal ion concentrations for practical application. () can serve as a noteworthy model in this context. This study employed a infection model to assess the efficacy of antibacterial metal ions.

METHODS

Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) assay were utilized to determine the toxic levels of metal ions in mice. Additionally, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and assessment of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in the model were conducted to elucidate the mechanisms underlying metal ion toxicity.

RESULTS

Silver ion concentrations ranging from 10 to 10 M and copper ion concentrations ranging from 10 to 10 M exhibited antimicrobial properties without eliciting cytotoxic effects. Analysis of the transcriptome data derived from mRNA isolated from indicated that CRKP infection activated the FoxO signaling pathway, potentially leading to ROS accumulation and demise.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, serves as a comprehensive infection model for assessing antibacterial metal ions.