A simple and no-drug resistance antibacterial
method was developed
by the synthesis of heat-stable and pH-tolerant nisin-loaded iron
oxide nanoparticles polydopamine (IONPs@pDA) composites. The composites
had a crystal structure and diameters of 25 ± 3 nm, with a saturation
magnetization (M
s) of 43.7995 emu g–1. Nisin was successfully conjugated onto the IONPs@pDA
nanoparticles, as evinced by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. The novel synthesized
material showed good performance in reducing Alicyclobacillus
acidoterrestris, a common food spoilage bacterium
that represents a significant problem for the food industry. Treatment
of A. acidoterrestris cells with composites
resulted in membrane damage, as observed by live/dead staining and
scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy
analyses. Further, the composites exhibited highly efficient antibacterial
activity against cells in only 5 min. Transcriptomic sequencing of
culture RNA pools after exposure to composites resulted in a total
of 334 differentially expressed genes that were primarily associated
with transcriptional regulation, energy metabolism, membrane transporters,
membrane and cell wall syntheses, and cell motility. Thus, these results
suggested that changes in transcriptional regulation caused by aggregated
composites on target cells led to major changes in homeostasis that
manifested by decreased energy metabolism, pore formation in the membrane,
and repressed cell wall synthesis. Concomitantly, cell motility and
sporulation activities were both repressed, and finally, intracellular
substances flowed out of leaky cells. The proposed biocontrol method
represents a novel means to control microorganisms without inducing
drug resistance. Further, these results provide novel insights into
the molecular mechanisms underlying the antibacterial activity of
composites against microorganisms.