Povidone-iodine

Povidone-iodine is called iodophore which means povidone acts as a carrier of iodine. Iodine is considered as the active moiety that mediates microbicidal actions. When released from the complex, free iodine (I2) penetrates the cell wall of microorganisms quickly, and the lethal effects are believed to result from disruption of protein and nucleic acid structure and synthesis. While the full mechanism of action is not fully elucidated, iodine is thought to inhibit vital bacterial cellular mechanisms and structures, and oxidizes nucleotides fatty or amino acids in bacterial cell membranes. Additionally, free iodine disrupts the function of the cytosolic enzymes involved in the respiratory chain, causing them to become denatured and deactivated. In vitro evidence suggests that iodine also counteracts inflammation elicited by both pathogens and the host response via multifactorial effects. In hosts, povidone-iodine was demonstrated to modulate the redox potential, inhibit the release of inflammatory mediators such as TNF-α and β-galactosidase, inhibit metalloproteinase production, and potentiate the healing signals from pro-inflammatory cytokines by activation of monocytes, T-lymphocytes, and macrophages, in vitro.