Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are not only widespread and costly but also highly debilitating, significantly impacting the quality of life for those affected. The antibiotics commonly used to treat UTIs often require extended or repeated treatment to be effective, which can contribute to resistance and cause harmful side effects, particularly in organs like the kidneys. This highlights the need for more efficient, long-lasting treatments to improve overall health and well-being. Researchers have now explored a novel approach to directly deliver antibiotics, specifically gentamicin, to bladder tissue to more effectively treat UTIs. They developed nanogels combined with a unique peptide (a small protein) that aids in the drug's entry into the cells where bacteria are hiding. The results, published in Nanomedicine, show that this technique was highly effective in animal models of UTIs, clearing over 90% of the bacteria from the bladder.

Scientists from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (Aurora, CO, USA) found that nanogel technology could deliver significantly more gentamicin than traditional methods, with a 36% higher concentration inside cells. Furthermore, this approach exhibited low toxicity, causing minimal harm to the cells. The nanogels also release the drug quickly, which enhances its ability to kill bacteria in the bladder faster. The researchers believe this innovative approach provides a more effective treatment by targeting infected cells directly, minimizing side effects, and reducing the risk of antibiotic resistance. They also suggest that this nanogel-based drug delivery system could be applied to other medical conditions beyond UTIs.

“We prove not only that this technology is doable but could be very effective for future clinical use and can potentially lead towards an eventual cure of recurrent infections,” said the paper’s senior author Michael Schurr, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Immunology & Microbiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. 

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