Inhibitory effect of silver nanoparticles–conjugated PEG-nystatin against some resistance pathogenic bacteria

Abstract

Drug-resistant pathogens are the primary cause of morbidity and mortality, resulting in the deaths of over 15 million people worldwide. Nanoparticles present a possible technique for improving the effectiveness of drugs and creating efficient carriers for drugdelivery. In this context, the antibacterial efficacy of the Nystatin (NYS) against both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria was studied. The NYS was loaded onto silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) prepared by a chemical reduction approach. The new nanocomposite, AgNPs-PEG-NYS, was prepared using polyethylene glycol-300 (PEG) as a binding agent between AgNPs and NYS. The prepared AgNPs, AgNPs-NYS, and AgNPs-PEG-NYS were characterized by ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry revealed wavelengths of 426, 421 nm and 408 nm, respectively. The X-ray diffraction indicated high crystallinity, as well as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy to ascertain their characteristics. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that AgNPs and their conjugates have spherical shapes, and the size distribution shows mean size at 37.658 nm, 52.328 nm, and 71.525 nm for AgNPs, AgNPs-NYS, and AgNPs-PEG-NYS, respectively. The well-diffusion technique was employed to evaluate the inhibitory effect of AgNPs and their conjugates against infectious microbes. The results of our study proved that AgNPs-NYS exhibited increased antibacterial effects. The AgNPs-PEG-NSY nanocomposite exhibited superior inhibitory activities against bacterial isolates compared to other synthesized nanoparticles, as evidenced by its inhibition zone diameter at19.52 mm and 17.54 mm for S. aureus and E. coli, respectively. Nystatin-loaded AgNPs evinced excellent antibacterial performance against the testedbacteria. This research presents a novel solution using nanomedicine to combat the global issue of pathogenic bacterial resistance, introducing an innovative technique for treating infectious diseases.