A new defense against biofilm formation was discovered by a group of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
A biofilm is a mucous layer of accumulations of bacteria that pose a serious danger in medical and industrial conditions, as well as in the human body. Once the biofilm has taken root, it is extremely difficult to dispose of. In the human body, it penetrates into the tissues underneath and infects them.
A group of biological engineers have discovered that polymers called mucins (from the English word mucus - mucus) can catch bacteria and prevent them from sticking together, thereby rendering them harmless.
Mucin coating can prevent the formation of biofilms on medical devices and, according to scientists, find application in personal hygiene. They suggest, for example, adding them to products such as toothpaste and mouthwash, which could increase the body's defenses, especially in people whose own mucus is already depleted by dehydration, chemotherapy or aging. In addition, immune cells are able to fight single bacterial cells, but bacterial accumulations are more difficult to eliminate. While mucin prevents the formation of colonies of bacteria, preventing them from sticking together.
It is unlikely that bacteria can develop mucin resistance, which is not the case with antibiotics. Beneficial bacteria that live on the mucous membranes also survive. This method of controlling the behavior of microbes is given to us by nature itself. And they cannot but be used, the researchers say.
