Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 May 18;20(10):2468.
doi: 10.3390/ijms20102468.

Mechanistic Insights into the Antimicrobial Actions of Metallic Nanoparticles and Their Implications for Multidrug Resistance

Sibhghatulla Shaikh  1 , Nazia Nazam  2 , Syed Mohd Danish Rizvi  3 , Khurshid Ahmad  4 , Mohammad Hassan Baig  5 , Eun Ju Lee  6 , Inho Choi  7
Affiliations
Review

Mechanistic Insights into the Antimicrobial Actions of Metallic Nanoparticles and Their Implications for Multidrug Resistance

Sibhghatulla Shaikh et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Multiple drug-resistant bacteria are a severe and growing public health concern. Because relatively few antibiotics have been approved over recent years and because of the inability of existing antibiotics to combat bacterial infections fully, demand for unconventional biocides is intense. Metallic nanoparticles (NPs) offer a novel potential means of fighting bacteria. Although metallic NPs exert their effects through membrane protein damage, superoxide radicals and the generation of ions that interfere with the cell granules leading to the formation of condensed particles, their antimicrobial potential, and mechanisms of action are still debated. This article discusses the action of metallic NPs as antibacterial agents, their mechanism of action, and their effect on bacterial drug resistance. Based on encouraging data about the antibacterial effects of NP/antibiotic combinations, we propose that this concept be thoroughly researched to identify means of combating drug-resistant bacteria.

Keywords: antimicrobials agents; drug resistance; nanomaterials; physico-chemical property; superoxide radicals.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representations of the antimicrobial mechanisms of various nanoparticles (NPs).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Proposed antibacterial mechanisms of antibiotic-conjugated AuNPs. AuNPs act as antibiotic carriers and facilitate access to bacterial cell walls. Cefaclor or cefotaxime damage cell walls and enable AuNP entry, and AuNPs then prevent DNA from unwinding.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Proposed antibacterial mechanisms of ampicillin plus AgNPs. AgNPs-ampicillin in combination hinders the formation of crosslinks in the peptidoglycan layer, which results in cell lysis. AgNPs-ampicillin complex inhibits DNA unwinding.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Schematic representation of the antibacterial mechanism of ciprofloxacin conjugated ZnO-NPs. ZnO-NP-Ciprofloxacin complex interferes with NorA (endogenous efflux transporter) and membrane Omf proteins, and thus enhances ciprofloxacin entry.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Shaikh S., Fatima J., Shakil S., Rizvi S.M., Kamal M.A. Antibiotic resistance and extended spectrum beta-lactamases: Types, epidemiology and treatment. Saudi J. Biol. Sci. 2015;22:90–101. doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2014.08.002. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Qureshi M., Asif N., Baig S. Evaluation of extended spectrum β-lactamase mediated resistance in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella in urinary tract infection at a tertiary care hospital. Biomedica. 2013;29:78–81.
    1. Shaikh S., Rizvi S.M., Anis R., Shakil S. Prevalence of CTX-M resistance marker and integrons among Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates of clinical origin. Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 2016;62:419–427. doi: 10.1111/lam.12567. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Shaikh S., Rizvi S.M.D., Shakil S., Ahmad A., Pathak N. Non-clonal dissemination of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing pseudomonas aeruginosa strains of clinical origin. Iran. J. Sci. Technol. Trans. A Sci. 2017;41:1011–1015. doi: 10.1007/s40995-017-0340-8. - DOI
    1. Hsueh P.R. New Delhi metallo-ss-lactamase-1 (NDM-1): An emerging threat among Enterobacteriaceae. J. Formos. Med. Assoc. 2010;109:685–687. doi: 10.1016/S0929-6646(10)60111-8. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms