Activity evaluation of pure and doped zinc oxide nanoparticles against bacterial pathogens andSaccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract

Aims: This work aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of pure (ZnO) and doped (ZnMgO) zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles on bacterial pathogens and Saccharomyces cerevisiae to confirm their applicability as an alternative to antibiotics and to estimate their biocompatibility. Methods and Results: Microbial growth inhibition on agar plates, microbial viability and adaptation tests in broth with ZnO nanoparticles, spore germination, random amplified polymorphic DNA and SDS-PAGE analysis were conducted to evaluate the effects of ZnO nanoparticles on cell morphology, viability, DNA damage and protein production. For this purpose, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and S. cerevisiae were studied after the addition of ZnO nanoparticles to the growth media. The contact with ZnO nanoparticles produced changes in morphology, shape, viability, DNA arrangement (DNA fingerprints) and protein content (SDS-PAGE) in treated cells. Conclusions: As reported in this study, ZnO nanoparticles have an antimicrobial effect on both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Before using ZnO nanoparticles as antimicrobial agents, it is important to evaluate the target because their effect depends on their composition, size and dose. Significance and Impact of the Study: We believe that the results obtained can help to optimize manufactured metal oxide nanoparticles in terms of their composition, size and working concentration. The parameters obtained directly define the applicability and biocompatibility of ZnO nanoparticles and thus are essential for any utilization in food, medicine and industry where pathogen control is crucial.

Antimicrobial nanoparticles and biodegradable polymer composites for active food packaging applications

“…Metal and metal‐oxide NPs exhibit different antibacterial efficiencies toward Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria, and may even have different effects on the bacterial strains within the same Gram‐positive or Gram‐negative group (Auger et al., 2018; Cavassin et al., 2015; Zanet et al., 2019). This effect originates probably from the presence of various membrane components in different bacteria that are the first barrier and the first target for NPs.…”

“…The dynamic role of ZnO NPs in food preservation entails the production of ROS, especially hydrogen‐peroxide in the presence of light (Auger et al., 2019; Vidic et al., 2013). Their antibacterial efficiency was shown for a broad range of microorganisms such as B. subtilis , S. aureus , E. coli , Salmonella , P. aeruginosa , C. jejuni (Auger et al., 2019; Stankic et al., 2016; Vidic et al., 2013; Zanet et al., 2019). Indeed, a greater sensitivity to H 2 O 2 was observed in bacteria that were more sensitive to ZnO NPs (d’Água et al., 2018).…”

Applications of Inorganic Nanoparticles in Food Packaging: A Comprehensive Review

“…ZnO has a wide range of applications because of its strong optical, electrical, piezoelectrical, semiconducting, and chemical sensing capabilities [ 64 , 65 ]. It was observed that increased antibiotic resistance of bacteria, its mutation, and unavailability of vaccine causes many health hazards to human beings.…”

Advances in Nanomaterials-Based Electrochemical Biosensors for Foodborne Pathogen Detection

“…Bacteria remain the most commonly detected pathogen with metal oxide based electrochemical biosensors. Moreover, current trends are focused on the use of metal oxide photocatalytic properties in inactivation and elimination of bacteria [67][68][69][70]. For instance, a multifunctional electrochemical platform was obtained by combining ZnO, colloidal Ag and vancomycin [71].…”