Applications of Nanotechnology for Combating Drug Resistant Bacterial Infections Using Nanoparticles
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21070/ijhsm.v2i3.155Keywords:
Nanotechnology, Bacterial Infection, Resistant Bacteria, MRSAAbstract
Background: The global rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria presents a significant threat to public health, necessitating alternative antimicrobial strategies. Specific Background: Nanoparticles such as silver (AgNPs), zinc oxide (ZnO-NPs), and copper oxide (CuO-NPs) have emerged as promising agents due to their broad-spectrum antibacterial properties. Knowledge Gap: However, comparative data on their efficacy across different resistance levels and their underlying mechanisms, particularly oxidative stress induction, remain limited. Aim: This study aims to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of AgNPs, ZnO-NPs, and CuO-NPs against 150 bacterial isolates categorized into high-, moderate-, and non-resistant bacteria (HRB, MRB, NRB). Results: AgNPs exhibited the highest overall antibacterial activity, with the greatest average zone of inhibition (26.28 mm for MRB) and the lowest MIC/MBC values (7.89 µg/mL for NRB). CuO-NPs produced the highest reactive oxygen species (ROS), suggesting a distinct mechanism of oxidative damage, while ZnO-NPs showed moderate effectiveness. Statistical analyses (ANOVA, Tukey HSD, Pearson’s r) confirmed significant differences among nanoparticles and a strong correlation between ROS generation and bacterial inhibition for CuO-NPs. Novelty: This is among the few studies providing a comprehensive comparison of these nanoparticles across graded resistance levels. Implications: The findings highlight AgNPs' potential in combating resistant bacteria and underscore the need for further research on their long-term safety and integration into antimicrobial therapies.
Highlight :
-
AgNPs most effective: Silver nanoparticles showed the highest antibacterial activity across all resistance levels (HRB, MRB, NRB).
-
ROS production matters: CuO-NPs generated the most reactive oxygen species, contributing to bacterial cell damage.
-
Dual mechanisms: Nanoparticles act via oxidative stress and membrane disruption, enhancing their antibacterial potency.
Keywords : Nanotechnology, Bacterial Infection, Resistant Bacteria, MRSA
References
[1] D. V. Patangia, C. A. Ryan, E. Dempsey, R. P. Ross, and C. Stanton, “Impact of Antibiotics on the Human Microbiome and Consequences for Host Health,” MicrobiologyOpen, vol. 11, e1260, 2022, doi: 10.1002/mbo3.1260.
[2] R. Sun, T. Yao, X. Zhou, S. Harbarth, and L. Lin, “Non-Biomedical Factors Affecting Antibiotic Use in the Community: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” Clinical Microbiology and Infection, vol. 28, pp. 345–354, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2021.10.017.
[3] J. Craig, J. Joshi, and I. Frost, From Policy to Practice. Steering Against Superbugs: The Global Governance of Antimicrobial Resistance. Oxford, UK: Oxford Univ. Press, 2023, p. 159.
[4] Z. Lin, T. Yuan, L. Zhou, S. Cheng, X. Qu, P. Lu, and Q. Feng, “Impact Factors of the Accumulation, Migration and Spread of Antibiotic Resistance in the Environment,” Environmental Geochemistry and Health, vol. 43, pp. 1741–1758, 2021, doi: 10.1007/s10653-020-00759-0.
[5] Y. Fu et al., “Effects of Heavy Metals and Antibiotics on Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Microbial Communities in Soil,” Process Safety and Environmental Protection, vol. 169, pp. 418–427, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.psep.2022.11.020.
[6] C. Liu et al., “Ecological Risk Under the Dual Threat of Heavy Metals and Antibiotic Resistant Escherichia coli in Swine-Farming Wastewater in Shandong Province, China,” Environmental Pollution, vol. 319, 120998, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120998.
[7] R. T. Khan and S. Rasool, “Nanotechnology: A New Strategy to Combat Bacterial Infections and Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria,” in Nanotechnology and Human Health, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier, 2023, pp. 167–190.
[8] L. Hochvaldová et al., “Antibacterial Nanomaterials: Upcoming Hope to Overcome Antibiotic Resistance Crisis,” Nanotechnology, in press.
[9] B. Brar et al., “Nanotechnology: A Contemporary Therapeutic Approach in Combating Infections from Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria,” Archives of Microbiology, vol. 205, no. 62, 2023, doi: 10.1007/s00203-023-03404-3.
[10] L. Muthukrishnan, M. Chellappa, and A. Nanda, “Bio-Engineering and Cellular Imaging of Silver Nanoparticles as Weaponry Against Multidrug Resistant Human Pathogens,” Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, vol. 194, pp. 119–127, 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2019.03.021.
[11] W. A. Hailan et al., “Reactive Oxygen Species-Mediated Cytotoxicity in Liver Carcinoma Cells Induced by Silver Nanoparticles Biosynthesized Using Schinus molle Extract,” Nanomaterials, vol. 12, no. 1, p. 161, 2022, doi: 10.3390/nano12010161.
[12] B. Hosnedlova et al., “Effect of Biosynthesized Silver Nanoparticles on Bacterial Biofilm Changes in S. aureus and E. coli,” Nanomaterials, vol. 12, no. 13, p. 2183, 2022, doi: 10.3390/nano12132183.
[13] T. C. Dakal, A. Kumar, R. S. Majumdar, and V. Yadav, “Mechanistic Basis of Antimicrobial Actions of Silver Nanoparticles,” Frontiers in Microbiology, vol. 7, p. 1831, 2016, doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01831.
[14] M. J. Hajipour et al., “Antibacterial Properties of Nanoparticles,” Trends in Biotechnology, vol. 30, no. 10, pp. 499–511, 2012, doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2012.06.004.
[15] A. Panáček et al., “Bacterial Resistance to Silver Nanoparticles and How to Overcome It,” Nature Nanotechnology, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 65–71, 2018, doi: 10.1038/s41565-017-0013-y.
[16] X. Chen et al., “The Rapid and Visual Detection of Methicillin-Susceptible and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Using Multiplex Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Linked to a Nanoparticle-Based Lateral Flow Biosensor,” Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control, vol. 9, p. 111, 2020, doi: 10.1186/s13756-020-00774-x.
[17] J. M. Hicks et al., “Real-Time Bacterial Detection With an Intracellular ROS Sensing Platform,” Biosensors and Bioelectronics, vol. 141, 111430, 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2019.111430.
[18] N. Hadrup and H. R. Lam, “Oral Toxicity of Silver Ions, Silver Nanoparticles, and Colloidal Silver: A Review,” Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, vol. 68, no. 1, pp. 1–7, 2014, doi: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2013.11.002.
[19] U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Nanotechnology Guidelines, Silver Spring, MD: FDA, 2021. [Online]. Available: [https://www.fda.gov/media/158735/download](https://www.fda.gov/media/158735/download)
[20] W.-R. Li, X.-B. Xie, Q.-S. Shi et al., “Antibacterial Activity and Mechanism of Silver Nanoparticles on Escherichia coli,” Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, vol. 85, pp. 1115–1122, 2020, doi: 10.1007/s00253-009-2159-5.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Mohammed Ali Kassab
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
