Antibiofilm Effect of Silver Nanoparticles in Changing the Biofilm-Related Gene Expression of Staphylococcus epidermidis

Abstract

Nowadays, antibiotic resistance is a major public health problem. Among staphylococci, infections caused by Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) are frequent and difficult to eradicate. This is due to its ability to form biofilm. Among the antibiotic substances, nanosilver is of particular interest. Based on this information, we decided to investigate the effect of nanosilver on the viability, biofilm formation and gene expression of the icaADBC operon and the icaR gene for biofilm and non-biofilm S. epidermidis strains. As we observed, the viability of all the tested strains decreased with the use of nanosilver at a concentration of 5 µg/mL. The ability to form biofilm also decreased with the use of nanosilver at a concentration of 3 µg/mL. Genetic expression of the icaADBC operon and the icaR gene varied depending on the ability of the strain to form biofilm. Low concentrations of nanosilver may cause increased biofilm production, however no such effect was observed with high concentrations. This confirms that the use of nanoparticles at an appropriately high dose in any future therapy is of utmost importance. Data from our publication confirm the antibacterial and antibiotic properties of nanosilver. This effect was observed phenotypically and also by levels of gene expression.

Invasive Alien Species as a Potential Source of Phytopharmaceuticals: Phenolic Composition and Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Activity of Robinia pseudoacacia L. Leaf and Flower Extracts

“…The antibiofilm action of these extracts may be due to their potential interference with biofilm-generating and/or perpetuating factors. For example, they may have modulated the production of adhesins such as the polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA) encoded by the intercellular adhesion (ica) operon in Staphylococcus epidermidis [100]. Further experiments are essential to substantiate this.…”

Ligand-Free Silver Nanoparticles: An Innovative Strategy against Viruses and Bacteria

“…Moreover, Montazeri and collaborators showed a notable decrease in the expression levels of the genes associated with the biofilm adhesion phases icaA and icaD (S. aureus) by an average of 63.5% when exposed to sub-inhibitory concentrations of AgNPs [42]. Also, Swolana et al demonstrated the involvement of AgNPs in impacting the expression of the icaADBC operon and the icaR gene [43]. The formation and structural integrity of biofilm is sustained through a combination of quorum sensing (QS) mechanisms and intermolecular interactions among its diverse components.…”

Targeting bacterial biofilm-related genes with nanoparticle-based strategies

“…Although the PIA adhesin plays a key role in the process of biofilm synthesis, it is not essential for biofilm production. There are biofilm-forming strains that do not contain ica operon genes ( Swolana et al, 2022 ).…”