ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Scientists at the University of Georgia have created a hand gel that is claimed to kill microbes over an extended period without drying the skin.

The gel contains the active ingredient nitric oxide, a molecule that occurs naturally in the body where it plays a key role in fighting infections. Nitric oxide is already used in antibacterial medications for treating wounds and acne.

When the Nitric Oxide Releasing gel was tested on excised rabbit skin it was found to rapidly eradicate more than 97 per cent of harmful microorganisms such as E. coli and antibiotic-resistant S. aureus bacteria along with C. albicans yeast. This was a similar performance to that of traditional sanitising gels containing 62 per cent ethyl alcohol.

However, while the antimicrobial effect of alcohol-based gels diminished within 30 to 60 minutes as they evaporated from the skin, the Nitric Oxide Releasing gel retained its full efficacy for up to two hours. Additional ingredients such as ethanol, tea tree oil and glycerin are claimed to boost the effect of the nitric oxide while also providing moisturising qualities said to keep the gel from drying out the skin.

And since nitric oxide is a gasotransmitter molecule with a short half-life, microbes are unlikely to develop a resistance to it over time, according to scientists. Further research will focus on testing the gel's effect on other infectious agents such as viruses and on extending its shelf life.

"Regular hand sanitisers with alcohol in them do a pretty good job at killing bacteria when you apply them initially, but the nitric oxide persists on the skin for longer and has an extended protective effect," says Elizabeth Brisbois who helped to develop the product. "This was an exciting result."