Polycationic Silver Nanoclusters Comprising Nanoreservoirs of Ag+ Ions with High Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activity

Haidari, Hanif, Bright, Richard, Kopecki, Zlatko, Zilm, Peter S., Garg, Sanjay, Cowin, Allison J., Vasilev, Krasimir, and Goswami, Nirmal (2022) Polycationic Silver Nanoclusters Comprising Nanoreservoirs of Ag+ Ions with High Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activity. Applied Materials and Interfaces, 14 (1). pp. 390-403.

[img] PDF (Published Version) - Published Version
Restricted to Repository staff only

View at Publisher Website: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c21657
 
35
1


Abstract

Silver-based nano-antibiotics are rapidly developing as promising alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Ideally, to remain potent against a wide range of drug-resistant and anaerobic bacteria, silver-based nano-antibiotics should easily penetrate through the bacterial cell walls and actively release silver ions. In this study, highly monodispersed, ultrasmall (<3 nm), polycationic silver nanoclusters (pAgNCs) are designed and synthesized for the elimination of a range of common Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens and their corresponding established and matured biofilms, including those composed of multiple species. The pAgNCs also show greatly enhanced antibacterial efficacy against anaerobic bacteria such as Fusobacterium nucleatum and Streptococcus sanguinis. These results demonstrate that the cationic nature facilitates better penetration to the bacterial cell membrane while the presence of a high percentage (>50%) of silver ions (i.e., Ag+ nanoreservoirs) on the cluster surface maintains their efficiency in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Significantly, the pAgNCs showed a strong capacity to significantly delay the development of bacterial resistance when compared to similar-sized negatively charged silver nanoparticles or conventional antibiotics. This study demonstrates a novel design strategy that can lay the foundation for the development of future highly potent nano-antibiotics effective against a broad spectrum of pathogens and biofilms needed in many everyday life applications and industries.

Item ID: 77015
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1944-8252
Keywords: anaerobic bacteria, antibiofilm activity, antimicrobial nanoclusters, bacterial resistance, cationic silver nanoclusters, multispecies biofilm
Copyright Information: © 2021 American Chemical Society.
Funders: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
Projects and Grants: NHMRC GNT1194466, NHMRC APP1032738
Date Deposited: 01 Mar 2023 04:32
FoR Codes: 40 ENGINEERING > 4018 Nanotechnology > 401807 Nanomaterials @ 50%
32 BIOMEDICAL AND CLINICAL SCIENCES > 3206 Medical biotechnology > 320604 Nanomedicine @ 50%
SEO Codes: 20 HEALTH > 2001 Clinical health > 200105 Treatment of human diseases and conditions @ 100%
Downloads: Total: 1
More Statistics

Actions (Repository Staff Only)

Item Control Page Item Control Page