Neva Ciftcioglu

Nanobacteria: Fact or Fiction? Characteristics, Detection, and Medical Importance of Novel Self-Replicating, Calcifying Nanoparticles

Including humans, many multicellular organisms produce similar hard tissues, such as bones, teeth, shells, skeletal units, and spicules. These hard tissues are biocomposites and incorporate both structural macromolecules (lipids, proteins, and polysaccharides) and inorganic minerals.1We do not fully understand the control mechanism of biomineralization in primitive or in developed organisms. The mineral phase of hard tissue is sometimes called biologic apatite, that is, a nonstoichiometric hydroxylapatite. Pure hydroxyapatite has the formula Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2. In contrast, a biologic apatite (like in bone) is nonstoichiometric and contains several other ions, mainly carbonate and other elements in traces such as Mg2+, Na+, Fe2+, HPO4 2−, F−, and Cl−. Consequently, a more appropriate structural formula for the composition of bone is (Ca,X)10(PO4,CO3,Y)6(OH,Z)2, with X substituting cations and Y and Z substituting anions (with the indices 10, 6, and 2 changing according to stoichiometry).2 There is a paradox in medicine. Whereas some researchers have been discussing the cytotoxic effect of apatite in vitro,3,4others have been announcing the safety of in vivo apatite applications.5-8Although these disagreements have not been completely resolved, both biogenic and nonbiogenic apatite materials have been continuously used in drug delivery and transplantation.6,9We know that when apatite is found in soft tissue, it is considered to be pathologic calcification.10The causes of apatite-deposit formations in soft tissue have been discussed for decades but still remain speculative. For example, calcification in the coronary arteries has been widely regarded as an uncommon, end-stage, insignificant, passive, degenerative process of aging-a notion that has paralyzed research in this area for decades.11Interestingly, these same terms were once …

A Preliminary Investigation into Light-Modulated Replication of Nanobacteria and Heart Disease

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this preliminary study is to evaluate the effect of various wavelengths of light on nanobacteria (NB). BACKGROUND DATA NB and mitochondria use light for biological processes. NB have been described as multifunctional primordial nanovesicles with the potential to utilize solar energy for replication. NB produce slime, a process common to living bacteria. Slime release is an evolutionary important stress-dependent phenomenon increasing the survival chance of individual bacteria in a colony. In the cardiovascular system, stress-induced bacterial colony formation may lead to a deposition of plaque. METHODS Cultured NB were irradiated with NASA-LEDs at different wavelengths of light: 670, 728 and 880 nm. Light intensities were about 500k Wm(-2), and energy density was 1 x 10(4) J m(-2). RESULTS Monochromatic light clearly affected replication of NB. Maximum replication was achieved at 670 nm. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that suitable wavelengths of light could be instrumental in elevating the vitality level of NB, preventing the production of NB-mediated slime, and simultaneously increasing the vitality level of mitochondria. The finding could stimulate the design of cooperative therapy concepts that could reduce death caused by myocardial infarcts.

Nanobacteria and Man

Nanobacteria are very small mineral forming bacteria recently discovered in mammalian blood and tissues. They are the first mineral forming bacteria found in blood and the first heat and gamma irradiation resistant bacteria detected in man. They seem to have a genetic organization, which permits them to compensate for their small size and slow metabolism, and endure in their environmental niche. These properties together with their very slow growth rate meant that they were not detected until about 10 years ago. Their extraordinary nature also hindered attempts to publish this data. These autonomously replicating microorganisms were approaching the theoretical limit of self-replicating life with a size of only one hundredth of that of usual bacteria (Kajander, 1992; Akerman et al, 1993, Kajander et al, 1994). Morphologically similar organisms had been discovered by Folk (1993) in sedimentary rocks and in hot-springs in travertine, and these he had given the name Nanobacteria. Such bacteria seem to contribute to the formation of many kinds of minerals. These bacteria may secrete molecules acting as nucleation centers for depositing biogenic minerals, e.g., apatite, around them in aquatic environments (Mojzsis et al, 1996). In a similar way, nanobacteria from blood can surround themselves with mineral deposits.

The Role of Nanobacteria/Calcifying Nanoparticles in Prostate Disease

The etiology of nonbacterial prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome remain elusive and therefore therapy nonspecific, mainly targeting symptom reduction. If an etiology could be identified, then more specific therapy, targeting the source, could be developed. Acute and chronic prostatitis and other chronic prostate conditions are often associated with evidence of inflammation, either acute, chronic, or both, as well as development of other histologic findings, such as corpora amylacea, which contain calcium phosphate, aka apatite. There have been a number of chronic conditions/diseases that were originally classified as idiopathic or noninfectious, such as peptic ulcer disease, which were later discovered to be infectious in origin. Could such be the case for nonbacterial prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) Calcifying nanoparticles (CNP), aka nanobacteria (NB) are small (50–200 nm), self-replicating entities that can be found in animal and human serum, urine, and tissue and produce an outer shell of apatite. What is the likelihood that the CNPs are associated with the development of inflammatory conditions of the prostate and possibly in the development of chronic prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome? This chapter will examine the controversy surrounding NB/CNP, as well as the evidence for CNP association with human genitourinary diseases especially that of the prostate.