A group of student pharmacists from the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy at the University of Hawaii at Hilo are conducting research using an extract from a locally-grown plant to combat antimicrobial resistance, a growing global threat to public health, according to a news release.
“Our research focuses on safely, efficiently and economically translating new therapeutic agents from natural products,” UH Hilo professor Supakit Wongwiwatthananukit said. “Application of nanotechnology in pharmacy (nanopharmacy) enhances the bench-to-bedside approach to patient care. Specifically, green synthesis of metal nanoparticles using plant extracts ensures clean, non-toxic and eco-friendly production."
He noted that poha berries have long held a medicinal usage in some cultures.
"Poha berries have been widely used in traditional medicine since pre-Columbian times, particularly to treat cancer," he said. "The fruit is popular in Hawaii and is eaten fresh or used for making jam.”
Alyssa Kam, Yang Xu and Chae Min Lee have been working under the guidance of professors Leng Chee Chang and Wongwiwatthananukit to synthesize silver nanoparticles using extract from Physalis peruviana, also known as poha berry, and test its antibacterial activity, the news release said. Kam said that antibiotic misuse and overprescribing are leading factors contributing to antimicrobial resistance, making it essential to identify alternative compounds with antimicrobial activity, such as plant-based compounds. Silver nanoparticles, undetectable by the human eye, have proven to be a valuable tool for drug delivery.
“Research results showed the synthesized silver nanoparticles using the Physalis peruviana extract demonstrated good antibacterial activity against Gram-negative E. coli and one of the Gram-positive Methicillin-sensitive S. aureus bacteria strains that we tested, both which exist here in Hawaii,” Chang said. “The next step is to determine the optimal and functional nanoparticle sizes that also have good stability properties.”
Chang described nanoparticles research as a growing field within the area of nanomedicine and highly relevant to pharmacy curricula.
“Offering a Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum based on emerging pharmaceutical and clinical science applications is significant,” Chang said. “It is important to give our students this opportunity to learn about nanoparticles and nanomedicine through research electives, including the course Special Topics in Pharmaceutical Sciences Research/Lab.”
The three second-year students presented their research results at the John A. Burns School of Medicine Biomedical Sciences and Health Disparities Symposium held on April 21 at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center on Oahu. Their work has been accepted for a poster presentation at the annual research symposium, which includes academic and student researchers from around the state, the university said.