Abstract
The present study deals with Se0- and Te0-based nanoparticles bio-synthesized by two selenite- and tellurite-reducing bacterial strains, namely Stenotrophomonas maltophilia SeITE02 and Ochrobactrum sp. MPV1, isolated from polluted sites. We evidenced that, by regulating culture conditions and exposure time to the selenite and tellurite oxyanions, differently sized zero-valent Se and Te nanoparticles were produced. The results revealed that these Se0 and Te0 nanoparticles possess antimicrobial and biofilm eradication activity against Escherichia coli JM109, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1, and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. In particular, Se0 nanoparticles exhibited antimicrobial activity at quite low concentrations, below that of selenite. Toxic effects of both Se0 and Te0 nanoparticles can be related to the production of reactive oxygen species upon exposure of the bacterial cultures. Evidence so far achieved suggests that the antimicrobial activity seems to be strictly linked to the dimensions of the nanoparticles: indeed, the highest activity was shown by nanoparticles of smaller sizes. In particular, it is worth noting how the bacteria tested in biofilm mode responded to the treatment by Se0 and Te0 nanoparticles with a susceptibility similar to that observed in planktonic cultures. This suggests a possible exploitation of both Se0 and Te0 nanoparticles as efficacious antimicrobial agents with a remarkable biofilm eradication capacity.
Highlights
In the last few decades, the emergence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become a common threat in both hospitals and community settings
In this study we focused on the potential antimicrobial activity and biofilm eradication effect of zero-valent selenium and tellurium nanoparticles of biogenic origin on cultures of three biofilm-forming bacterial isolates, namely Escherichia coli JM109, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1, and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923
A variety of nanostructured metals has evidenced very promising antibacterial properties. The uses of these metal nanoparticles have potential advantages over conventional antimicrobial agents due to their high surface to volume ratios that allow a higher area of interactions with biological systems
Summary
In the last few decades, the emergence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become a common threat in both hospitals and community settings. Selenium- (Tran and Webster, 2011) and tellurium-based (Mohanty et al, 2014) nanomaterials have revealed interesting antimicrobial potential against a broad range of pathogenic strains. This opens a new perspective for these nanoparticles in terms of coating agents in medical devices and health-related products to prevent bacterial infections (Roe et al, 2008). They can find promising applications in industrial settings as a potential tool to contrast biofouling (Zhang et al, 2012)
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