No abstract

In this study, nano‐formulation has been used to tackle one of the most important environmental problems which can be considered a major threat to human health. We prepared some eco‐friendly nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) as delivery agents to properly deliver an antibacterial agent (eugenol) into hospital wastewater in order to control bacterial growth. Eugenol‐loaded nanostructured lipid carriers were prepared by hot high‐speed homogenization. Then, the prepared nanocarriers were characterized using different techniques such as transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, and dynamic scanning calorimetry. The turbidity assay and colony counting method were used to determine the ability of the prepared eugenol‐loaded nanostructured lipid carriers to inhibit bacterial growth rate in the culture media and hospital wastewater, respectively. The mean size and zeta potential of NLC‐eugenol were 78.12 ± 6.1 nm and −29.43 ± 2.21 mV, respectively. The results showed that the highest inhibitory effect of NLC‐eugenol in culture media was seen in standard and wild Staphylococcus aureus strains (43.42% and 26.41%, respectively) with a concentration of 0.125 μM. The antibacterial activity of NLC‐eugenol in sterile wastewater on wild strains of bacteria showed that the most effective concentration to reduce bacterial amounts was 0.125 μM on wild S. aureus and Enterococcus faecalis strains (38% and 33.47%, respectively) at 37°C. The NLC‐eugenol with a concentration of 0.125 μM showed the greatest effect of reducing total microbial agents by 28.66% in hospital wastewater at 25°C. The highest antibacterial effect achieved using the 0.125 μM concentration is due to the egel phenomenon. Also, the mechanism of action of NLC‐eugenol is cell wall destruction and eventually cell death. The results showed that NLC‐eugenol with a concentration of 0.125 μM can reduce wild bacterial strains in sterilized wastewater and hospital wastewater, which can prove the great potential of the prepared eugenol‐loaded nanostructured lipid carriers to control bacterial growth. Practitioner Points NLC is one of the safest biodegradable and environmentally friendly carriers, which is nontoxic for humans and the environment. Eugenol is a natural compound, which makes it less toxic for the environment while being toxic for bacteria. Therefore, our method has the least side effect in comparison with existing methods for wastewater treatment. The gradual release of eugenol from NLC nanoparticles can effectively control the pathogenic factors of wastewater.

No abstract

In this study, eugenol-loaded mPEG-PCL nanoparticles were used to improve the anti-bacterial properties of eugenol in an attempt to eliminate the resistant bacteria. The mPEG-PCL copolymer was prepared by ring-opening polymerization of [Formula: see text]-caprolactone monomer in the vicinity of a dry mPEG and a tin (II) octoate catalyst. Polymeric nanoparticles were prepared through the nanoprecipitation procedure. The particle size and zeta potential of mPEG-PCL/eugenol were found to be [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]nm and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]mV, respectively. The polymeric nanoparticle structure was identified by AFM, FT-IR, and DSC techniques. To evaluate and compare the antibacterial efficiency of mPEG-PCL/eugenol with that of free eugenol, a turbidity assay was used in association with gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. SEM images were taken from the bacteria before and after exposure to the mPEG-PCL/eugenol. The colony-forming unit per milliliter (CFU/mL) method was used to evaluate the performance of mPEG-PCL/eugenol on the growth rate of bacteria in hospital wastewater. The results showed that the mPEG-PCL/eugenol nanoparticles demonstrated an enormous antibacterial effect in connection with wild gram-negative bacteria strains at 40[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]M concentration and 37∘C. In the original hospital wastewater, mPEG-PCL/eugenol at the concentration of 0.125[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]M at 25∘C showed the largest decrease in the total microbial count.