Ultrastructural changes in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus induced by positively charged silver nanoparticles

There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

Summary

Silver nanoparticles offer a possible means of fighting antibacterial resistance. Most of their antibacterial properties are attributed to their silver ions. In the present work, we study the actions of positively charged silver nanoparticles against both methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. We use aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy to examine the bactericidal effects of silver nanoparticles and the ultrastructural changes in bacteria that are induced by silver nanoparticles. The study revealed that our 1 nm average size silver nanoparticles induced thinning and permeabilization of the cell wall, destabilization of the peptidoglycan layer, and subsequent leakage of intracellular content, causing bacterial cell lysis. We hypothesize that positively charged silver nanoparticles bind to the negatively charged polyanionic backbones of teichoic acids and the related cell wall glycopolymers of bacteria as a first target, consequently stressing the structure and permeability of the cell wall. This hypothesis provides a major mechanism to explain the antibacterial effects of silver nanoparticles on Staphylococcus aureus. Future research should focus on defining the related molecular mechanisms and their importance to the antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles.

Abstract

Related collections

Most cited references 46

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: epidemiology and clinical consequences of an emerging epidemic.

Michael David, Robert S Daum (2010)

Staphylococcus aureus is an important cause of skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTIs), endovascular infections, pneumonia, septic arthritis, endocarditis, osteomyelitis, foreign-body infections, and sepsis. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates were once confined largely to hospitals, other health care environments, and patients frequenting these facilities. Since the mid-1990s, however, there has been an explosion in the number of MRSA infections reported in populations lacking risk factors for exposure to the health care system. This increase in the incidence of MRSA infection has been associated with the recognition of new MRSA clones known as community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA). CA-MRSA strains differ from the older, health care-associated MRSA strains; they infect a different group of patients, they cause different clinical syndromes, they differ in antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, they spread rapidly among healthy people in the community, and they frequently cause infections in health care environments as well. This review details what is known about the epidemiology of CA-MRSA strains and the clinical spectrum of infectious syndromes associated with them that ranges from a commensal state to severe, overwhelming infection. It also addresses the therapy of these infections and strategies for their prevention.

0 comments Cited 623 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Nanosilver: a nanoproduct in medical application.

X. Chen, H J Schluesener (2008)

Nanotechnology is a most promising field for generating new applications in medicine. However, only few nanoproducts are currently in use for medical purposes. A most prominent nanoproduct is nanosilver. Nanosilver particles are generally smaller than 100nm and contain 20-15,000 silver atoms. At nanoscale, silver exhibits remarkably unusual physical, chemical and biological properties. Due to its strong antibacterial activity, nanosilver coatings are used on various textiles but as well as coatings on certain implants. Further, nanosilver is used for treatment of wounds and burns or as a contraceptive and marketed as a water disinfectant and room spray. Thus, use of nanosilver is becoming more and more widespread in medicine and related applications and due to increasing exposure toxicological and environmental issues need to be raised. In sharp contrast to the attention paid to new applications of nanosilver, few studies provide only scant insights into the interaction of nanosilver particle with the human body after entering via different portals. Biodistribution, organ accumulation, degradation, possible adverse effects and toxicity are only slowly recognized and this review is focusing on major questions associated with the increased medical use of nanosilver and related nanomaterials.

0 comments Cited 403 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Nanosilver as a new generation of nanoproduct in biomedical applications.

Karla Chaloupka, Yogeshkumar Malam, Alexander M. Seifalian (2010)

Nanosilver (NS), comprising silver nanoparticles, is attracting interest for a range of biomedical applications owing to its potent antibacterial activity. It has recently been demonstrated that NS has useful anti-inflammatory effects and improves wound healing, which could be exploited in developing better dressings for wounds and burns. The key to its broad-acting and potent antibacterial activity is the multifaceted mechanism by which NS acts on microbes. This is utilized in antibacterial coatings on medical devices to reduce nosocomial infection rates. Many new synthesis methods have emerged and are being evaluated for NS production for medical applications. NS toxicity is also critically discussed to reflect on potential concerns before widespread application in the medical field. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

0 comments Cited 335 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

All references

Author and article information

Contributors

Miguel José Yacamán

Jörg J Schneider: Role: Associate Editor

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Beilstein J Nanotechnol

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Beilstein J Nanotechnol

Title: Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology

Publisher: Beilstein-Institut (Trakehner Str. 7-9, 60487 Frankfurt am Main, Germany )

ISSN (Electronic): 2190-4286

Publication date Collection: 2015

Publication date (Electronic): 15 December 2015

Volume: 6

Pages: 2396-2405

Affiliations

[1 ]Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USA

[2 ]Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Metalurgia, Universidad de Sonora, Rosales y Luis Encinas S/N, Hermosillo, Sonora C.P. 83000, México

[3 ]Department of Biology and South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USA

Article

DOI: 10.3762/bjnano.6.246

PMC ID: 4685924

PubMed ID: 26734530

SO-VID: 8dcc9766-e9d4-43e1-b1fa-fdcc0c990f1a

License:

This is an Open Access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

The license is subject to the Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology terms and conditions: ( http://www.beilstein-journals.org/bjnano)

Ultrastructural changes in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus induced by positively charged silver nanoparticles

Read this article at

Summary

Abstract

Related collections

Electron Channelling Contrast Imaging (ECCI)

Most cited references 46

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: epidemiology and clinical consequences of an emerging epidemic.

Nanosilver: a nanoproduct in medical application.

Nanosilver as a new generation of nanoproduct in biomedical applications.

Author and article information

Contributors

Journal

Affiliations

Article

History

Categories

Comments

Comment on this article

Similar content 496

Cited by 21

Most referenced authors 1,049