The Antibiofilm Effects of Antimony Tin Oxide Nanoparticles against Polymicrobial Biofilms of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

Biofilms are responsible for persistent or recurring microbial infections. Polymicrobial biofilms are prevalent in environmental and medical niches. Dual-species biofilms formed by Gram-negative uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus are commonly found in urinary tract infection sites. Metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are widely studied for their antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties. We hypothesized that antimony-doped tin (IV) oxide (ATO) NPs, which contain a combination of antimony (Sb) and tin (Sn) oxides, are good antimicrobial candidates due to their large surface area. Thus, we investigated the antibiofilm and antivirulence properties of ATO NPs against single- and dual-species biofilms formed by UPEC and S. aureus. ATO NPs at 1 mg/mL significantly inhibited biofilm formation by UPEC, S. aureus, and dual-species biofilms and reduced their main virulence attributes, such as the cell surface hydrophobicity of UPEC and hemolysis of S. aureus and dual-species biofilms. Gene expression studies showed ATO NPs downregulated the hla gene in S. aureus, which is essential for hemolysin production and biofilm formation. Furthermore, toxicity assays with seed germination and Caenorhabditis elegans models confirmed the non-toxic nature of ATO NPs. These results suggest that ATO nanoparticles and their composites could be used to control persistent UPEC and S. aureus infections.

Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized from Acacia glauca Leaves: A Promising Agent Targeting Virulent Genes of Staphylococcus aureus

“…Soleimani and Habibi-Pirkoohi (2017) results showed that silver nanoparticles fabricated from Chlorella vulgaris inhibit the expression of the hla gene even with a concentration less than the MIC. Nanoparticles synthesized from material other than silver nitrate also showed antibacterial activity, nanoparticles from Antimony Tin Oxide (ATONPs) reduce the expression of the hla gene and prevented hemolysin production (Park et al 2023).…”

Study the Effect of Ciprofloxacin and Diclofenac Combination Treating Urinary Tract Infection by Resistance E.coli 0157:H7 in Female Rabbits

“…diclofenac had an effect inactivating the E coli biofilm metabolism the authors observed a biofilm killing activity only when diclofenac was associated with kanamycin or tetracycline, ciprofloxacin (Leão et al, 2020). (Shah et al, 2016) The many traits of biofilms facilitate antimicrobial resistance (Park, 2023). In particular, creating an extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix lessens the diffusion and penetration of antimicrobial drugs while shielding the bacteria from environmental stresses like dehydration and starvation (Espigares et al, 2023).…”