Nanoparticle Emulsion Treatment for Burns Reduces Infection

A new study has found that treating second-degree burns with a nanoemulsion lotion sharply curbs bacterial growth and reduces inflammation that otherwise can jeopardize recovery.

Researchers at the University of Michigan (U-M; Ann Arbor, USA) developed the new NB-201 nanoemulsion, which is made of soybean oil, alcohol, water, and detergents emulsified into droplets 200 nm to 600 nm in diameter. In the study, partial thickness burn wounds in rats were inoculated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, and were then treated 8 and 16 hours later with NB-201, placebo, 5% Sulfamylon, or a saline control. The treatment with NB-201 resulted in a one-thousand fold reduction of bacterial growth as compared to control. In addition, NB-201 demonstrated a greater reduction of bacterial counts than the Sulfamylon, a common topical antimicrobial currently used in the treatment of burn injuries.


The nanoemulsion droplets traverse the pores and hair follicles of the skin and mucosal membranes, without disrupting normal tissues. These droplets then accumulate in the epidermis and dermis, where they interact directly with and disrupt microorganisms at the site of the infection by fusing with the microorganism's outer membrane. The technology provides broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against bacteria, enveloped viruses, fungi, spores and protozoa, and appears to act by reducing the action of two cytokines that play a role in cell signaling during the critical post-burn period. The study was presented at the Interscience Conference for Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), held during September 2009 in San Francisco (CA, USA).

"NB-201 clearly demonstrated an ability to eradicate bacteria in a burn wound. As importantly, it also resulted in reduction of proinflammatory cytokines and local tissue inflammation, which was coupled with a reduction in capillary leak and local tissue edema,” said study presenter Mark Hemmila, M.D., an associate professor of surgery at the U-M medical school. "NB-201 has the potential to be very useful in helping prevent infection to the damaged area of the wound and to reduce early post-burn inflammation.”

The technology for NB-201 has been licensed by U-M to NanBio Corporation (Ann Arbor, MI, USA), a spin-off from U-M that holds the exclusive global license to the nanoemulsion platform technology. Other potential uses for nanoemulsions include treatments for cold sores, toenail fungus, tinea capitis, acne, molluscum contagiosum, and cystic fibrosis (CF) infections, as well as vaccines against influenza and bioterrorism agents.

Related Links:
University of Michigan
NanBio Corporation