Kessler Jack, Hooper Sarah E
I2Pure Incorporated, 44679 Endicott Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA.
Microbiology and Infection Research Group, Cardiff School of Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff CF5 2YB, UK.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 May 19;26(10):4853. doi: 10.3390/ijms26104853.
The only biocidal iodine species in topical iodine disinfectants is molecular iodine (I2). I2, a biomolecule, has broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and does not generate resistance. Physicians, regulatory agencies, and scientists have assumed that I2 is responsible for the skin staining and irritation associated with the clinical use of iodine disinfectants; this assumption is deeply embedded in the medical community but is not supported with empirical data. This study provides the first experimental data that measure the biocompatibility of I2 with human skin. Human skin explants in tissue culture were evaluated at 3, 7, and 24 h after being exposed to I2 (500 to 15,000 ppm). Cell viability was measured relative to phosphate-buffered saline using 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT). The biocidal activity of I2 vapor emitted from silicone was demonstrated against bacteria growing on agar to confirm I2 off-gassing from skin was an active biocide. Additionally, statistically significant bacterial reductions with both gas and solution phase I2 were observed in a static and dynamic five-species wound biofilm. The data suggest that high, e.g., 50-5000 ppm, levels of I2 should be incorporated into topical iodine disinfectants instead of the very low (0.2-10 ppm) levels found in 10% povidone iodine products currently in use.
局部用碘消毒剂中唯一具有杀菌作用的碘形态是分子碘（I₂）。I₂作为一种生物分子，具有广谱抗菌活性且不会产生耐药性。医生、监管机构和科学家们一直认为，I₂是碘消毒剂临床使用过程中导致皮肤染色和刺激的原因；这一假设在医学界根深蒂固，但并无实证数据支持。本研究提供了首个测量I₂与人体皮肤生物相容性的实验数据。将组织培养中的人体皮肤外植体暴露于I₂（500至15,000 ppm）后，分别在3小时、7小时和24小时进行评估。使用3-[4,5-二甲基噻唑-2-基]-2,5-二苯基溴化四氮唑（MTT），相对于磷酸盐缓冲盐水测量细胞活力。证实了从硅胶释放出的I₂蒸气对琼脂上生长的细菌具有杀菌活性，以确认从皮肤释放出的I₂是一种活性杀菌剂。此外，在静态和动态的五种细菌伤口生物膜中，均观察到气相和液相I₂均能使细菌数量出现具有统计学意义的减少。数据表明，局部用碘消毒剂应采用高浓度（例如50 - 5000 ppm）的I₂，而不是目前使用的10%聚维酮碘产品中极低的（0.2 - 10 ppm）浓度。
