Abstract
Currently, the mortality rate in Saudi Arabia’s ICUs is increasing due to the spread of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing bacteria. This study was carried out to evaluate the ability of biologically synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) using Aspergillus niger to overcome carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (KPC) in vitro and in vivo. ZnO-NPs were synthesized via a biological method and characterized using UV–Vis spectroscopy, Zetasizer and zeta potential analyses, x-ray diffraction spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX). In vitro sensitivity of KPC to ZnO-NPs was identified using the well diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined by a macro-dilution method. The morphological alteration of KPC cells after ZnO-NPs treatment was observed by SEM. The in vivo susceptibility of KPC cells to ZnO-NPs ointment was evaluated using wound healing in experimental rats. The chemical characterization findings showed the formation, stability, shape, and size of the synthesized nanoparticles. The MIC and MBC were 0.7 and 1.8 mg/ml, respectively. The in vivo results displayed reduced inflammation and wound re-epithelialization of KPC-infected rats. These findings demonstrated that ZnO-NPs have great potential to be developed as antibacterial agents.
Highlights
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative, encapsulated, non-motile, rod-shaped opportunistic pathogen
The x-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) showed that the peaks of ZnO-NPs appeared at 2q of 31.77°, 34.44°, 36.26°, 47.55°, 56.60°, 62.88°, 66.38°, 67.96°, 69.09°, 72.98°, 81.64°, 92.80°, 95.32°, and 98.67°, which corresponded to the (100), (002), (101), (110), (103), (112), (200), (201), (004), and (202) lattice planes (Figure 1B)
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) of ZnO-NPs according to Figure 1C, which presented the sharp peak at 3,482 and 3,401 cm−1, corresponds to the O-H strong group, which is found in ZnO-NPs before and after burning at 400°C and the aqueous extract of A. niger
Summary
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative, encapsulated, non-motile, rod-shaped opportunistic pathogen. It causes a wide range of hospital-acquired infections, such as wound infection, bacteremia, pneumonia, and urinary tract infections, in immunocompromised people (Rani et al, 2017). K. pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing Enterobacteriaceae infection may be associated with treatment failure and increased mortality (Toledo et al, 2015). It is increasingly recognized as a serious public health concern worldwide. Among Enterobacteriaceae, carbapenemases are more prevalent in K. pneumoniae isolates, which usually cause hospital-acquired infections and outbreaks in Saudi Arabia. Alotaibi found that K. pneumoniae (63%) is more frequently isolated compared with Escherichia coli (55%) in a tertiary care hospital in Riyadh (Alotaibi, 2019)
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