Synthesis of SiC/Ag/Cellulose Nanocomposite and Its Antibacterial Activity by Reactive Oxygen Species Generation

Abstract

We describe the synthesis of nanocomposites, based on nanofibers of silicon carbide, silver nanoparticles, and cellulose. Silver nanoparticle synthesis was achieved with chemical reduction using hydrazine by adding two different surfactants to obtain a nanocomposite with silver nanoparticles of different diameters. Determination of antibacterial activity was based on respiration tests. Enzymatic analysis indicates oxidative stress, and viability testing was conducted using an epifluorescence microscope. Strong bactericidal activity of nanocomposites was found against bacteria Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus, which were used in the study as typical Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, respectively. It is assumed that reactive oxygen species generation was responsible for the observed antibacterial effect of the investigated materials. Due to the properties of silicon carbide nanofiber, the obtained nanocomposite may have potential use in technology related to water and air purification. Cellulose addition prevented silver nanoparticle release and probably enhanced bacterial adsorption onto aggregates of the nanocomposite material.

Comparison of Antibacterial Mode of Action of Silver Ions and Silver Nanoformulations With Different Physico-Chemical Properties: Experimental and Computational Studies

“…The other ROS probe, DHE, passively enters the cell and becomes oxidized by different kinds of ROS. This results in formation of ethidium and 2-hydroxyethidium, both of which can be excited by blue light (∼500 nm), leading to the emission of fluorescence at ∼606 nm ( Kar et al, 2014 ; Borkowski et al, 2016 ; Zhang et al, 2018 ; Wu et al, 2019 ).…”

“…The mode of the antibacterial activity of silver ions and the mechanism of bacterial resistance to them have been well described in the literature ( Pareek et al, 2018 ; Bonilla-Gameros et al, 2020 ). There are also many attempts to explain how SNF work, but the results can be conflicting ( Li et al, 1997 ; Banerjee et al, 2010 ; Liu et al, 2012 ; Radzig et al, 2013 ; Randall et al, 2015 ; Borkowski et al, 2016 ; Reymond-Laruinaz et al, 2016 ; Zhang et al, 2018 ; Zheng et al, 2018 ; Anuj et al, 2019 ; Siddiq et al, 2019 ; Wu et al, 2019 ). SNF can interact with the bacterial membrane, cell wall or subcellular structure, causing their damage or function disruption (through generations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) or affinity toward intracellular structure) in different ways than silver ions, and differences between individual SNF forms might also be observed ( Pareek et al, 2018 ; Zheng et al, 2018 ; Kędziora et al, 2020 ).…”

The Response of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 to UV-activated Titanium Dioxide/Silica Nanotubes

“…A material in which at least one phase is in the nanoscale can form a nanocomposite such as titanium dioxide/silica nanotubes, where mesoporous silica in tubular form is functionalized with titanium dioxide [ 15 ]. The functionalization of nanomaterials aims to produce composite nanomaterials that act differently than the structures from which they are composed [ 16 , 17 ].…”

“…On the other hand, studies on more complex nanomaterials (nanocomposites) are still in the minority. The combination of nanomaterials can change the properties of the product nanostructure [ 10 , 16 , 17 ]. For that reason, it is necessary to investigate the applicability of nanomaterials in various branches of science and technology.…”

Ionic liquids strongly affect the interaction of bacteria with magnesium oxide and silica nanoparticles

“…7,11,23,[26][27][28] However, the cut-off effect can be observed and the toxicity of ILs with long aliphatic chain usually decreases due to lower solubility. Regarding nanostructures, the toxic properties may involve both the mechanical damage to membranes and the surface activity leading to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), [29][30][31][32] as well as the toxic ions releasing from nanoparticles. 33,34 The interaction between living cells and nanomaterials is strongly affected by surface properties like zeta potential, surface charge and energy, wettability and hydroxylation degree.…”