PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTION OF COPPER NANOPARTICLES IN AN EXPERIMENTAL MODEL OF SKIN AND SOFT TISSUE ABSCESSES

Introduction. Skin and soft tissue infections are a global healthcare problem nowadays. Copper nanoparticles are thought to become active substances in drugs for treatment of such pathology. It was considered relevant to study an antibacterial action of zerovalent copper nanoparticles substance in a model of skin and sift tissue abscesses. The aim of the study ? to investigate pharmacological action of zerovalent copper nanoparticles in an experimental model of polymicrobial skin and soft tissue abscesses in rats. Materials and methods. The study was carried out on 15 Wistar rats. Abscesses were modeled by subcutaneous injection of 1.5 ml of suspension of daily culture of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus zooepidemicus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to rats. An open abscess was irrigated with 20 nm zerovalent copper nanoparticles substance in a concentration of 0.64 mg/ml or 6.4 mg/ml or with copper sulphate solution in a concentration of 2.5 mg/ ml as a comparator, in days from 5 to 9 in all treatment groups. Pharmacological action and safety of zerovalent copper nanoparticles substance were assessed by parameters listed below: appearance and behavior of animals, dynamics of changes in body weight, histological state of a zone of infected tissues, serum hematological indices. Results and discussion. The use of zerovalent copper nanoparticles substance in a concentration of 0.64 mg/ml or 6.4 mg/ml lead to an improvement of clinical findings and an absence of significant decrease in body weight, resulted in normalization of a histological state of tissues and serum hematological indices. Copper sulphate appeared less efficacious according to the data obtained. Conclusions. Experimental data on pharmacological action and safety of 20 nm zerovalent copper nanoparticles denotes a relevance of further preclinical studies implementation in order to its further use as an active substance in drugs for treatment of skin and soft tissue infections.