Synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles and its conjugation with antibiotic: Antibacterial and morphological characterization

Abstract

In the present study zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized through chemical method in alkaline condition. The initial formation of monodispersed zinc oxide nanoparticles was confirmed by a sharp peak at 390 nm via UV–vis spectroscopy. Further, microscopic techniques such as SEM and TEM established the formation of multi shaped zinc oxide nanoparticles with an average size of 20−24 nm. The FTIR, analysis confirmed the presence of multiple functional groups on zinc oxide nanoparticles. In addition to this, zinc oxide nanoparticles were conjugated with ciprofloxacin (antibiotic) through chemical method. Later, antibacterial potential of zinc oxide nanoparticles, ciprofloxacin and zinc oxide nanoparticles - ciprofloxacin conjugate were compared against multiple bacterial pathogens (E. coli, Klebsiella spp., B. subtilis and Streptococcus spp.). It was observed that, conjugation of zinc oxide nanoparticles with ciprofloxacin produces synergetic effect in term of antibacterial activity. Results confirmed that, there was 2.9 fold increase in antibacterial activity of nanoparticle-ciprofloxacin conjugates against E.coli and 2.8 fold increase for Streptococcus spp. as compared to ciprofloxacin alone. The present formulation clearly indicates the potential of metallic nanoparticles in the area of healthcare.