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But exactly how to
silver ions kill bacteria and prevent infection from spreading?
We’ll examine that
question in this brief article…
Hi, Steve Barwick here, for www.TheSilverEdge.com...
There have been numerous studies on the bactericidal effects of silver
ions, which are the acknowledged infection-fighting “specie” of silver.
Here are two accounts, from two separate clinical studies:
The first if from a study published in December 2000 in the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research,
Volume 52, Issue 4, 15.
It’s titled, “A Mechanistic Study of the Antibacterial Effects of Silver
Ions on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.” The study states, in part:
“Silver ions have long been known to have
strong inhibitory and bactericidal effects as well as a broad spectrum of
antimicrobial activities.
Some forms of silver have been demonstrated
to be effective against burns, severe chronic osteomyelitis, urinary tract
infections, and central venous catheter infections…
…To investigate the mechanism of inhibition of silver ions on microorganisms, two strains of bacteria, namely Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), were treated with AgNO3 and studied using combined electron microscopy and X-ray microanalysis.
…To investigate the mechanism of inhibition of silver ions on microorganisms, two strains of bacteria, namely Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), were treated with AgNO3 and studied using combined electron microscopy and X-ray microanalysis.
Similar morphological changes occurred in
both E. coli and S. aureus cells after Ag+ treatment. The cytoplasm membrane
detached from the cell wall.
A remarkable electron-light region appeared
in the center of the cells, which contained condensed deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA) molecules.
There are many small electron-dense granules
either surrounding the cell wall, or depositing inside the cells.
The existence of elements of silver and
sulfur in the electron-dense granules and cytoplasm detected by X-ray
microanalysis suggested the antibacterial mechanism of silver:
DNA lost its replication ability and the
protein became inactivated after Ag+ treatment.”
What this means, in essence, is that silver ions are able to target the
cell walls of the studied microorganisms, and cause the cytoplasm membrane to
become detached.
This opens the microbe up and exposes its DNA to the silver, which
deposits itself inside the bacterial cell, destroying the ability of the
bacterial DNA to replicate. Hence the
bacteria cannot reproduce and spread.
The second clinical study was published in April 2008, in the journal Applied
and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 74, No. 7.
Titled "Antibacterial Activity and
Mechanism of Action of the Silver Ion in Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia
coli," it states, in part:
"Since ancient times, the
silver ion has been known to be effective against a broad range of microorganisms.
Today, silver ions are used to
control bacterial growth in a variety of medical applications, including dental
work, catheters, and the healing of burn wounds.
…The mechanism of the
antimicrobial action of silver ions is closely related to their interaction
with thiol (sulfhydryl) groups, although other target sites remain a
possibility.
Amino acids, such as cysteine,
and other compounds containing thiol groups, such as sodium thioglycolate,
neutralized the activity of silver against bacteria.
By contrast, disulfide
bond-containing amino acids, non-sulfur-containing amino acids, and
sulfur-containing compounds, such as cystathione, cysteic acid, L-methionine,
taurine, sodium bisulfate, and sodium thiosulfate, were all unable to neutralize
the activity of silver ions.
These and other findings imply
that the interaction of silver ions with thiol groups in enzymes and proteins
plays an essential role in its antimicrobial action, although other cellular
components, like hydrogen bonding, may also be involved.
Silver was also proposed to act by binding to key functional groups of enzymes. Silver ions cause the release of K ions from bacteria; thus, the bacterial plasma or cytoplasmic membrane, which is associated with many important enzymes, is an important target site for silver ions.
Silver was also proposed to act by binding to key functional groups of enzymes. Silver ions cause the release of K ions from bacteria; thus, the bacterial plasma or cytoplasmic membrane, which is associated with many important enzymes, is an important target site for silver ions.
In addition to their effects on
bacterial enzymes, silver ions caused marked inhibition of bacterial growth and
were deposited in the vacuole and cell wall as granules.
They inhibited cell division and
damaged the cell envelope and contents of bacteria.
Bacterial cells increased in
size, and the cytoplasmic membrane, cytoplasmic contents, and outer cell layers
all exhibited structural abnormalities.
Finally, silver ions interact
with nucleic acids; they interact preferentially with the bases in DNA rather
than with the phosphate groups, although the significance of this in terms of
their lethal action is unclear."
While the science
behind this study is a bit more complex to understand, boiling it down, it
basically draws the same conclusion as the first study mentioned above, i.e.,
that silver ions damage and then penetrate the cell walls of the pathogens, and
then inhibit bacterial growth and replication by binding to the DNA of the
microbes.
Other Studies
Other studies have
demonstrated that silver ions damage the cell wall of pathogens through the
release of nascent oxygen, which inactivates microorganisms through a process
of catalytic oxidation.
As Albert T.
McManus, MD, Chief of Microbiology, Institute of Surgical Research, Fort Sam
Houston Army Burn Center, Houston, Texas, observes:
"Silver kills bacteria by simple
catalytic reduction/oxidation by reacting with any available negative
charge...Any organism that is available to the powerful catalytic activity of
silver for oxidation is inactivated”.
As stated in the report,
"The Development and Functions of Silver in Water Purification and Disease
Control," by Richard L. Davies and Samuel F. Etris of The Silver Institute
in Washington, DC:
"Atomic (nascent) oxygen adsorbed onto a bed of silver atoms
or ions in solution readily reacts with the sulfhydryl (H) groups surrounding
the surface of bacteria or viruses to remove the hydrogen atoms (removed as
water) causing the sulfur atoms to form an R-S-S-R bond; respiration is blocked
and the bacteria expire."
And a 2011 study
titled Control of Microorganisms in Drinking Water Using Ag-Cu/C Catalysts, which was conducted by the Indian
Institute of Chemical Technology in conjunction with researchers
at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, draws a
similar conclusion:
“Silver in its atomic state, has the capacity to absorb oxygen and
act as a catalyst to bring about oxidation.
Because oxygen is more electronegative than sulfur, atomic
(nascent) oxygen absorbed onto the surface of silver particles in solution will
readily react with hydrogen attached to sulfur in the sulfhydryl (- S- H)
groups surrounding the surface of bacteria or viruses.
The removal of hydrogen atoms (as water) causes the sulfur atoms
to condense to form R- S –S- R bond. This blocks the respiration and causing
the bacteria to expire.”
Dr. Jonathan Wright, M.D. Explains
Harvard educated Dr.
Jonathan Wright, M.D., of the famous Tahoma Clinic in Washington State, insightfully
summarizes and explains the process, in his article “Stop Supergerms in Their
Tracks With One Powerful Silver Bullet”:
"Silver attacks all three of the germ's
vulnerable targets at once.
First, the silver ions easily rupture a
germ's outer membrane when present in the right amounts, causing the germ's
vital internal components to be exposed in the bloodstream to our white blood
cells.
While the white blood cells attack the
internal components, the micro-particulate silver continues to destroy these
vital internal components by cutting up vital enzymes.
The silver ions then easily attack the germ's
third vulnerable target: its delicate gene pool. Silver ions have the ability
to reach into the nucleus of the germ, where its gene pool is located.
Once they combine with the genes, the genes
become paralyzed, and the germ cannot replicate itself...
In 1909, the Journal of the American Medical
Association was the first medical journal to point out that colloidal silver
could actually increase our immune cells' phagocytic index.
In the past few years, more studies have
shown that silver ions greatly enhance the essential second part of the
phagocytic index-the part where the germ is digested by our immune cells.
This is brought about because silver ions
increase the "digesting juices" (what you know as hydrogen peroxide)
of these immune cells."
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is
that silver ions are widely acknowledged to be the active, infection-fighting
“specie” of silver (see Experts: It’s the Silver Ion
That Gives Colloidal Silver Its Antimicrobial Power,).
And they stop
infection by first attaching to the cellular membrane of pathogens and
disrupting its function through a process of catalytic oxidation utilizing
nascent oxygen stored on the surface of the silver atom.
The silver ions then
penetrate the pathogen’s cellular membrane, entering the nucleus of the cell and
binding with the pathogen’s DNA in order to stop the pathogen from replicating.
Make Your Own Ionic Silver
To learn how to make
your own therapeutic-quality colloidal silver
(i.e., pure ionic silver), quickly and easily, in the comfort and privacy of
your own home, and for less than 36 cents
a quart, just click the link in this sentence.
Meanwhile, I’ll be
back next week with another great article on colloidal silver…
Yours for the safe, sane and responsible
use of colloidal silver,
Steve Barwick, author
The Ultimate Colloidal Silver Manual
The Ultimate Colloidal Silver Manual
Helpful Links:
Important Note and
Disclaimer: The contents of this Ezine have not been
evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
Information conveyed herein is from sources deemed to be accurate and
reliable, but no guarantee can be made in regards to the accuracy and
reliability thereof. The author, Steve
Barwick, is a natural health journalist with over 30 years of experience
writing professionally about natural health topics. He is not
a doctor. Therefore, nothing stated in
this Ezine should be construed as prescriptive in nature, nor is any part of
this Ezine meant to be considered a substitute for professional medical
advice. Nothing reported herein is
intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The author is simply reporting in
journalistic fashion what he has learned during the past 17 years of
journalistic research into colloidal silver and its usage. Therefore, the information and data presented
should be considered for informational purposes only, and approached with
caution. Readers should verify for
themselves, and to their own satisfaction, from other knowledgeable sources
such as their doctor, the accuracy and reliability of all reports, ideas,
conclusions, comments and opinions stated herein. All important health care decisions should be
made under the guidance and direction of a legitimate, knowledgeable and
experienced health care professional.
Readers are solely responsible for their choices. The author and publisher disclaim responsibility
and/or liability for any loss or hardship that may be incurred as a result of
the use or application of any information included in this Ezine.
Copyright
2013 | Life & Health Research Group, LLC | PO Box 1239 | Peoria AZ
85380-1239 | All rights reserved.
Posts
2 comments:
I didnt know that the colloidal silver uses were so many! Thats kinda cool, where can you get it?
Lance, colloidal silver is sold in virtually every well-stocked health food store in the U.S. and throughout Canada and Mexico as well.
You can also purchase it online on Amazon.com, or SwansonVitamins.com, or numerous other websites.
The cost is generally $20-$30 for a tiny four-ounce bottle.
Better still, you can make your own high-quality colloidal silver, quickly and easily, in the comfort and privacy of your own home, for about 36 cents a quart. This website explains how: http://thesilveredge.com/howto.shtml
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