Developing and evaluating new nano-delivery vehicles for natural health antimicrobials

加拿大公共卫生局估计，每年大约有八分之一的加拿大人(或400万人)因国内获得的食源性疾病而患病。据估计，这每年给加拿大经济造成的损失超过20亿美元。家庭感染的一个常见来源是处理不当和受污染的食品原料，而肠道沙门氏菌、产气荚膜梭菌、大肠杆菌和单核细胞增多性李斯特菌等细菌病原体约占这些疾病的90%。因此，迫切需要开发无毒和有效的消毒剂，以便在加拿大各地的厨房安全使用。伊斯特盖特制药公司认识到减少接触这些病原体的重要性，并致力于设计出限制其传播的天然消费产品。最近，他们开发了一系列基于纳米递送的抗菌洗手液和水果和蔬菜洗涤液，这些洗手液来自天然无毒成分。这些抗菌剂的初始配方对常见食源性致病菌的活性有限。通过与圭尔夫大学的Khursigara博士合作，伊斯特盖特公司旨在改善其天然抗菌剂的纳米输送机制，以增强其抗菌活性。Khursigara博士的团队将使用加拿大卫生部和安大略省公共卫生部制定的现有抗菌素测试指南来评估新型抗菌剂配方对这些细菌病原体的疗效。伊斯特盖特制药公司将利用这些信息开发更好的抗菌剂配方和纳米给药机制，可能会被改造成在人体内安全地给药其他类型的药物。

The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates that roughly one in eight Canadians (or four million people) get sick each year due to domestically acquired foodborne diseases. This is estimated to cost the Canadian economy more than $2 billion per year. A common source of domestic infections is poorly handled and contaminated foods materials, and bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella enterica, Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes account for approximately 90% of these illnesses. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop nontoxic and effective disinfectant agents that can be safely used in kitchens across Canada. EastGate Pharmaceuticals recognizes the importance of reducing the exposure of these pathogens and aims to design natural consumer products that will limit their spread. Recently, they have developed a nano-delivery-based line of antimicrobial hand sanitizers and fruit and vegetable washing solutions derived from natural, non-toxic ingredients. The initial formulations of these antimicrobials have demonstrated limited activities against common foodborne bacterial pathogens. By collaborating with Dr. Khursigara at the University of Guelph, EastGate aims to improve the nano-delivery mechanism of their natural antimicrobials to enhance their antibacterial activities. Dr. Khursigara's team will use existing antimicrobial testing guidelines that have been established by Health Canada and Public Health Ontario to assess the efficacy of the novel antimicrobial formulations against these bacterial pathogens. EastGate Pharmaceuticals will use this information to develop better antimicrobial formulations and nano-delivery mechanisms that could potentially be adapted to safely deliver other types of drugs in the human body.