From the Guidelines
Bioactive silver has no significant benefits in wound healing or treatment of infections.
Benefits of Bioactive Silver
- There is no evidence to support the effectiveness of bioactive silver in enhancing wound healing or treating infections, as stated in the guidelines on interventions to enhance healing of foot ulcers in people with diabetes 1.
- Silver compounds do not offer benefits in ulcer healing and there is no evidence to support their effectiveness in the treatment of the infectious aspects of a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) 1.
- The use of topical silver-containing treatments is widely used for infected diabetic foot ulcers (IDFUs), but there is no evidence to support their effectiveness in treating infections or promoting wound healing 1.
- A Cochrane review found that evidence for the effectiveness and safety of topical antimicrobial treatments, including silver, for diabetic foot ulcers was limited by the availability of relatively few, frequently small, and poorly designed studies 1.
- The International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) guidance on use of interventions to enhance the healing of chronic ulcers of the foot in diabetes states that there is insufficient evidence to justify the use of silver-based dressings in preference to other dressings 1.
- In terms of local wound care, the use of silver or other anti-microbial agents containing dressings is not established in routine management 1.
From the Research
Benefits of Bioactive Silver
The benefits of bioactive silver can be summarized as follows:
- Antimicrobial effects: Bioactive silver has been shown to have antimicrobial properties, effective against a wide range of microorganisms 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- Wound care: Silver has been used to treat wound infections, especially in burned patients, and has been incorporated into wound dressings to promote healing 2, 3, 5.
- Personal hygiene: Silver has been used in personal hygiene products to reduce the risk of infection and promote antimicrobial activity 4.
- Low toxicity: Silver has been shown to have low toxicity in the human body, with minimal risk of adverse effects due to clinical exposure 2, 6.
- Anti-inflammatory effects: Silver may have dual immunomodulatory effects, which could lead to further product development as a potential alternative preservative 4.
Mechanism of Action
The mechanism of action of bioactive silver involves the release of silver ions, which interact with bacterial or fungal cell membranes, leading to the denaturation of key enzyme systems and ultimately, the death of the microorganism 2, 6.
- The silver ion is biologically active and readily interacts with proteins, amino acid residues, free anions, and receptors on mammalian and eukaryotic cell membranes 2.
- The antimicrobial action of silver is proportional to the bioactive silver ion released and its availability to interact with microorganisms 2.