Gallium–Curcumin Nanoparticle Conjugates as an Antibacterial Agent against Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Synthesis and Characterization

Abstract

Combating antibiotic resistance has found great interest in the current clinical scenario. Pseudomonas aeruginosa , an opportunistic multidrug-resistant pathogen, is well known for its deadly role in hospital-acquired infections. Infections by P. aeruginosa are among the toughest to treat because of its intrinsic and acquired resistance to antibiotics. In this study, we project gallium–curcumin nanoparticle (GaCurNP) conjugates as a prospective candidate to fight against P. aeruginosa . The synthesized GaCurNPs were spherical with an average size ranging from 25–35 nm. Analysis by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy deduced the nature of interaction between gallium and curcumin. Conjugate formation with gallium was found to improve the stability of curcumin at the physiological pH. When tested after 24 h of contact, at the physiological pH and 37 °C, the degradation of curcumin bound in the GaCurNPs was 26%, while that of native curcumin was 95%. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of GaCurNPs was found to be 82.75 μg/mL for P. aeruginosa ( ATCC 27853). GaCurNPs also showed excellent biofilm inhibition at 4MIC concentration. Raman spectroscopic analysis showed that GaCurNPs are capable of disrupting the cells of P. aeruginosa within 3 h of contact. Live/dead imaging also confirmed the compromised membrane integrity in cells treated with GaCurNPs. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed membrane lysis and cell structure damage. The AlamarBlue assay showed that when L929 cell lines were treated with GaCurNPs with concentrations as high as 350 μg/mL, the cell viability elicited by the nanoparticles was 70.89%, indicating its noncytotoxic nature. In short, GaCurNPs appear to be a promising antibacterial agent capable of fighting a clinically significant pathogen, P. aeruginosa .

Engineered Robust Hydrophobic/Hydrophilic Nanofibrous Scaffolds with Drug-Eluting, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Capacity

“…Finally, in the spectra of curcumin-loaded composites, characteristic peaks of curcumin can be clearly seen in the 1500–1600 cm –1 region where other components have no bands. The band at around 1501 cm –1 , ascribed to mixed C–O stretching, C–C–C bending, and C–C–O bending of curcumin, is significantly shifted to higher wavenumbers in composites, i.e., 1518 cm –1 in LVC and 1513 cm –1 in LSC. The possible formation of a complex through hydrogen bonding would explain the changes in the environment of these moieties .…”

Bioactive Compounds from the Zingiberaceae Family with Known Antioxidant Activities for Possible Therapeutic Uses

“…In this regard, curcuminoids, particularly CUR, have been complexed with various metals to achieve the desired synergistic effects. These formulations include curcumin–tannic acid-metal complexes (CUR-TA-Fe II and CUR-TA-Fe III) [ 101 ], curcumin–zinc oxide nanoparticles [ 102 ], and gallium–curcumin nanoparticles [ 103 ]. CUR has been reported to possess varying degrees of activity against the following viruses: high-risk human papillomaviruses, coxsackievirus, hepatitis C, herpes simplex virus type 1, influenza viruses (PR8, H1N1, and H6N1), and transmissible gastroenteritis virus [ 100 ].…”

Curcumin-Based β-Diketo Ligands for Ga3+: Thermodynamic Investigation of Potential Metal-Based Drugs

“…For bulky ligands (3,4,5,6,7), it was necessary to The stability constants of the complexes were calculated taking into account the possible complexes at the M:L 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3 molar ratios, but only for compounds 1 and 2 the refinements converged completely. For bulky ligands (3,4,5,6,7), it was necessary to exclude M:L 1:3 to reach convergence due to their steric hindrance that prevents the rearrangement of three ligands in the octahedral coordination sphere of Ga 3+ .…”

“…This limit could be overcome by designing new methods of administration or synthesizing novel daughter compounds with modified chemical structures. The first strategy allows stabilizing the molecule and increases its bioavailability by reducing its metabolism and increasing the retention time in the bloodstream; recently, many studies have reported on the encapsulation of CUR into nanocarriers (i.e., liposomes, engineered nanoparticles or exosomes, EXOs) with promising preclinical results [ 4 ] even for neurological pathologies [ 5 ].…”