On-demand synthesis of antiseptics at the site of infection for treatment of otitis media

Otitis media (OM) is the main reason for pediatric antibiotic prescriptions. The current treatment mandates a rigorous regimen of multidose antibiotics over 5-10 days. The systemic antibiotic exposure and often prematurely terminated treatment due to the challenge of drug administration to young patients are believed to breed antibiotic resistance. To address these challenges, we designed a local treatment that converted a metabolic product (H2O2) of an OM pathogen (Streptococcus pneumoniae) into a potent anti-septic (HOBr), a reaction catalyzed by locally administered vanadium pentoxide nanowires. The therapeutic, HOBr, was only synthesized in the presence of the pathogen, enabling on-demand generation of therapeutics for OM treatment. Hypohalous acids are broad-spectrum and have a long history in general disinfection applications without breeding substantial drug resistance. A single dose of the nanowire formulation eradicated OM in a standard chinchilla model in 7 days with no observable tissue toxicity or negative impact on hearing sensitivity.(c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Otitis media is a common reason for pediatric antibiotic prescriptions. The current treatment faces challenges such as antibiotic resistance and difficulty in drug administration. A novel local treatment method was developed, which converted a metabolic product of the pathogen into a potent antiseptic. This method showed promising results in animal experiments.