Targeted and Enhanced Antimicrobial Inhibition of Mesoporous ZnO–Ag₂O/Ag, ZnO–CuO, and ZnO–SnO₂ Composite Nanoparticles

Abstract

In this work, mesoporous (pore size below 4 nm) composite nanoparticles of ZnO–Ag2O/Ag, ZnO–CuO, and ZnO–SnO2 of size d ≤ 10 nm (dia.) have been synthesized through the in situ solvochemical reduction method using NaBH4. These composite nanoparticles exhibited excellent killing efficacy against Gram-positive/negative bacterial and fungal strains even at a very low dose of 0.010 μg/mL. Additionally, by applying the in silico docking approach, the nanoparticles and microorganism-specific targeted proteins and their interactions have been identified to explain the best anti-bacterial/anti-fungal activities of these composites. For this purpose, the virulence and resistance causing target proteins such as PqsR, RstA, FosA, and Hsp90 of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Candida albicans have been identified to find out the best inhibitory action mechanisms involved. From the in vitro study, it is revealed that all the composite nanoparticle types used here can act as potent antimicrobial components. All the composite nanoparticles have exhibited excellent inhibition against the microorganisms compared to their constituent single metal or metal oxide nanoparticles. Among the nanoparticle types, the ZnO–Ag2O/Ag composite nanoparticles exhibited the best inhibition activity compared to the other reported nanoparticles. The microorganisms which are associated with severe infections lead to the multidrug resistance and have become a huge concern in the healthcare sector. Conventional organic antibiotics are less stable at a higher temperature. Therefore, based on the current demands, this work has been focused on designing inorganic antibiotics which possess stability even under harsh conditions. In this direction, our developed composite nanoparticles were explored for potential uses in the healthcare technology, and they may solve many problems in global emergency and epidemics caused by the microorganisms.

Collaborative Enhancement of Humidity Sensing Performance by KCl-Doped CuO/SnO2 p–n Heterostructures for Monitoring Human Activities

“…The surface morphology of KCl-CuO/SnO 2 was investigated by high-resolution TEM (HRTEM). As shown in Figure i, the interplanar spacings ( d ) were 2.32, 2.64, and 3.35 Å, which were consistent with reported values for the (111) plane of CuO and the (101) and (110) planes of SnO 2 , respectively, indicating the formation of CuO/SnO 2 heterostructures . The presence of periclases CuO and SnO 2 was also confirmed by the selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern (Figure j), which showed diffraction rings corresponding to reflections of CuO and SnO 2 .…”

“…As shown in Figure 2i, the interplanar spacings (d) were 2.32, 2.64, and 3.35 Å, which were consistent with reported values for the (111) plane of CuO and the (101) and (110) planes of SnO 2 , respectively, indicating the formation of CuO/SnO 2 heterostructures. 24 The presence of periclases CuO and SnO 2 was also confirmed by the selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern (Figure 2j), which showed diffraction rings corresponding to reflections of CuO and SnO 2 . The elemental compositions and distributions of the KCl-CuO/SnO 2 composites were evaluated by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) mapping.…”

Novel imidazolium-thiohydantoin hybrids and their Mn(iii) complexes for antimicrobial and anti-liver cancer applications

“…The molecular hybridization technique has garnered a lot of attention over the last two decades as a promising strategy for drug discovery and developing novel pharmacophores with biological multifunctions. 3,4 The combination of two separate bioactive compounds with adjuvant properties 5 and differing modes of action might be an appropriate way to boost the potency and increase the selectivity of the hybrid molecule toward pathogens and cancer cells over normal ones and hence reduce their adverse effects. 6,7 However, despite the success of the hybrid method in antimalarial 8 and anticancer 9,10 drug development, there is still a lack of research in the field of antimicrobial agents.…”

Recent Progress of Advanced Metal-Oxide Nanocomposites for Effective and Low-Cost Antimicrobial Activates: A Review

“…The lowest value of the energy bandgap exhibited maximum antimicrobial activities in that electrons are excited from the valance band to the conduction band with small energy. For example, Pandey et al [132] showed the relationship between the energy bandgap and the antimicrobial activity of ZnO, ZnO-Ag 2 O/Ag, ZnO-CuO, and ZnO-SnO 2 against P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae, A. baumannii, and C. albicans pathogens. The antimicrobial activity increases as the bandgap of the nanocomposite decreases.…”

“…Effect of energy bandgap on the antimicrobial activity of ZnO, ZnO-Ag 2 O/Ag, ZnO-CuO, and ZnO-SnO 2 against different pathogens[132].…”