In vitro antibacterial activity of biological-derived silver nanoparticles : preliminary data

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are promising alternatives to antibiotics. The aims of this study were to produce AgNPs using two biological methods and determine their antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius. AgNPs were biosynthesized from an infusion of Curcuma longa (turmeric) and the culture supernatant of E. coli. Characterization was achieved by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The antibacterial properties of NPs from C. longa (ClAgNPs) and E. coli (EcAgNPs), alone and in combination with carbenicillin and ampicillin, were investigated through the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion assay and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Dimensions of NPs ranged from 11.107 ± 2.705 nm (ClAgNPs) to 27.282 ± 2.68 nm (EcAgNPs). Kirby-Bauer and MIC assays showed great antibacterial abilities for both NPs alone and in combination with antibiotics. EcAgNPs alone showed the most powerful antibacterial activities, resulting in MIC values ranging from 0.438 ± 0.18 μM (P. aeruginosa) to 3.75 ± 3.65 μM (S. pseudintermedius) compared to those of ClAgNPs: 71.8 ± 0 μM (P. aeruginosa) and 143.7 ± 0 μM (S. pseudintermedius). The antibiofilm abilities were strain-dependent, but no statistical differences were found between the two NPs. These results suggest the antibacterial potential of AgNPs for the treatment of infectious diseases.