IIT BHU Scientists Develop Green Light-Activated Technology to Fight Bacterial Infections

The study, titled “Green-light-activated Os(II) metallophotoantibiotics for antibacterial therapy and infected wound healing,” was conducted by researchers from IIT (BHU)’s Department of Chemistry and School of Biomedical Engineering.

Scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, have developed light-activated antibacterial compounds that can inhibit bacterial growth, disrupt biofilms, and accelerate the healing of infected wounds in laboratory studies involving rats. The research, published in Communications Chemistry, explores a potential approach to tackling antimicrobial resistance and persistent bacterial infections.

The study, titled “Green-light-activated Os(II) metallophotoantibiotics for antibacterial therapy and infected wound healing,” was conducted by researchers from IIT (BHU)’s Department of Chemistry and School of Biomedical Engineering.

The research team was led by Dr. Samya Banerjee, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry, and Dr. Sudip Mukherjee of the School of Biomedical Engineering. The authors include Apurba Mandal, Debayani Chakraborty, Arif Ali Mandal, Rohit Pandey, Ashish Kumar Agrawal, Rashi Gautam, and Sweety Tiwari.

Green Light Activates Antibacterial Compounds

The researchers developed three osmium-based metallophotoantibiotics, designated Os1, Os2, and Os3, which become particularly effective when exposed to green light.

Upon activation, the compounds generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), molecules that damage bacterial cells and interfere with essential biological processes, thereby inhibiting bacterial growth.

The team evaluated the compounds against three bacterial species: Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis. The findings showed antibacterial activity under green-light exposure, with Os1 emerging as the most promising candidate among the three compounds.

Compound Shows Activity Against Bacterial Biofilms

The study also examined the compounds’ ability to inhibit bacterial biofilms, protective layers formed by bacterial communities that help them persist on surfaces and resist conventional antibacterial treatments.

Biofilms pose challenges in healthcare settings, particularly in infections associated with medical devices, where their protective structure can make bacteria difficult to eliminate.

In laboratory experiments, Os1, when activated by green light, achieved approximately 85% inhibition of biofilm formation in both E. coli and B. subtilis.

Potential Application in Infected Wound Healing

The researchers also investigated the technology’s potential for infected wound healing. Experiments involving rats indicated that the light-activated approach could accelerate the healing of infected wounds.

The findings suggest a possible avenue for developing targeted antibacterial treatments that combine light activation with compounds designed to damage bacterial cells. However, further research would be needed to establish the technology’s safety, effectiveness, and suitability for human clinical use.

Published in Communications Chemistry, a Nature Portfolio journal, the study brings together chemistry and biomedical engineering to investigate an alternative approach to persistent infections and biofilm-associated bacterial growth.

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