In-vitro antibacterial and anti-biofilm efficiencies of chitosan-encapsulated zinc ferrite nanoparticles

Abstract

Recently, nanoparticle (NP)-encapsulated surfaces have received remarkable attention as a promising antimicrobial alternate. Thereby, the present investigation focuses to develop chitosan-encapsulated zinc ferrite nanoparticles (CT-ZnFe2O4 NPs) for antibacterial and anti-biofilm efficiencies against the range of pathogens. In this study, ZnFe2O4 NPs synthesized by a sol–gel auto-combustion method are coated with a natural CT polymer. Agar well diffusion, growth kinetics and colony-forming unit measurement studies demonstrated that the CT-ZnFe2O4 NPs behave excellent antibacterial agent against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Subsequently, their inhibitory effect on biofilm formation and removal of established biofilm are also been evaluated. Obtained results demonstrated that the CT-ZnFe2O4 NPs inhibit the biofilm formation more than 65% and reduce established biofilm up to 50% at a respective minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Promising findings of this study suggest an exciting opportunity in antimicrobial therapy like antibacterial coatings that wound care and target drug delivery in biofilm treatment.