# Terpene-Based Eutectic Solvent Microdroplets: A Strategy to Combat Antibiotic-Resistant Helicobacter pylori

## TL;DR

This study introduces terpene-based microdroplets as a sustainable and effective strategy to combat antibiotic-resistant Helicobacter pylori infections.

## Contribution

The first application of THEES-based microdroplets for targeting H. pylori using microfluidic technology.

## Key findings

- THEES-based microdroplets showed improved antimicrobial efficiency compared to THEES alone.
- The platform demonstrated biocompatibility and effectiveness against both standard and antibiotic-resistant H. pylori strains.
- The strategy offers a potential alternative to antibiotics to prevent resistance development.

## Abstract

Terpene-based therapeutic eutectic solvents (THEES) represent
an
innovative class of green solvents with intrinsic antimicrobial properties,
offering new potential for sustainable solutions in microbial infection
treatment. This study introduces the first application of THEES-based
microdroplets targeting Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a critical global health
concern due to rising antibiotic resistance. Using microfluidic technology,
we developed oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion droplets from three distinct
THEES systems: menthol/thymol, menthol/lidocaine, and menthol/eucalyptol.
These droplets were generated via a flow-focusing glass-capillary
microfluidic device, with a 10 wt % poly­(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) aqueous
phase and THEES as the organic phase. The presence of surfactant in
the system is expected to diminish the integration of bacterial membranes
and improve the antimicrobial efficiency of the emulsion droplets
compared to THEES alone. Biocompatibility was first evaluated via metabolic activity on L929 mouse fibroblasts, followed
by in vitro testing evaluation against both standard
and antibiotic-resistant H. pylori strains.
This novel platform THEES-based microdroplets offers a sustainable
and potentially transformative strategy for addressing H. pylori infections, providing a breakthrough in
combating antibiotic resistance and can potentially prevent the development
of resistance if it is used as an alternative to antibiotics.