Silver nanoparticles as a new generation of antimicrobials.

http://users.encs.concordia.ca/~mojtaba/elec6271/silver%20nanoparticles.pdf

Silver nanoparticles: green synthesis and their antimicrobial activities.

Here, we present a review of the antibacterial effects of silver nanomaterials, including proposed antibacterial mechanisms and possible toxicity to higher organisms. For purpose of this review, silver nanomaterials include silver nanoparticles, stabilized silver salts, silver–dendrimer, polymer and metal oxide composites, and silver-impregnated zeolite and activated carbon materials. While there is some evidence that silver nanoparticles can directly damage bacteria cell membranes, silver nanomaterials appear to exert bacteriocidal activity predominantly through release of silver ions followed (individually or in combination) by increased membrane permeability, loss of the proton motive force, inducing de-energization of the cells and efflux of phosphate, leakage of cellular content, and disruption DNA replication. Eukaryotic cells could be similarly impacted by most of these mechanisms and, indeed, a small but growing body of literature supports this concern. Most antimicrobial studies are performed in simple aquatic media or cell culture media without proper characterization of silver nanomaterial stability (aggregation, dissolution, and re-precipitation). Silver nanoparticle stability is governed by particle size, shape, and capping agents as well as solution pH, ionic strength, specific ions and ligands, and organic macromolecules—all of which influence silver nanoparticle stability and bioavailability. Although none of the studies reviewed definitively proved any immediate impacts to human health or the environment by a silver nanomaterial containing product, the entirety of the science reviewed suggests some caution and further research are warranted given the already widespread and rapidly growing use of silver nanomaterials.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs11051-010-9900-y.pdf

A review of the antibacterial effects of silver nanomaterials and potential implications for human health and the environment

The major strategies for designing surfaces that prevent fouling due to proteins, bacteria, and marine organisms are reviewed. Biofouling is of great concern in numerous applications ranging from biosensors to biomedical implants and devices, and from food packaging to industrial and marine equipment. The two major approaches to combat surface fouling are based on either preventing biofoulants from attaching or degrading them. One of the key strategies for imparting adhesion resistance involves the functionalization of surfaces with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) or oligo(ethylene glycol). Several alternatives to PEG-based coatings have also been designed over the past decade. While protein-resistant coatings may also resist bacterial attachment and subsequent biofilm formation, in order to overcome the fouling-mediated risk of bacterial infection it is highly desirable to design coatings that are bactericidal. Traditional techniques involve the design of coatings that release biocidal agents, including antibiotics, quaternary ammonium salts (QAS), and silver, into the surrounding aqueous environment. However, the emergence of antibiotic- and silver-resistant pathogenic strains has necessitated the development of alternative strategies. Therefore, other techniques based on the use of polycations, enzymes, nanomaterials, and photoactive agents are being investigated. With regard to marine antifouling coatings, restrictions on the use of biocide-releasing coatings have made the generation of nontoxic antifouling surfaces more important. While considerable progress has been made in the design of antifouling coatings, ongoing research in this area should result in the development of even better antifouling materials in the future.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/adma.201001215

Antifouling coatings: recent developments in the design of surfaces that prevent fouling by proteins, bacteria, and marine organisms.

For nearly a decade, researchers have debated the mechanisms by which AgNPs exert toxicity to bacteria and other organisms. The most elusive question has been whether the AgNPs exert direct “particle-specific” effects beyond the known antimicrobial activity of released silver ions (Ag+). Here, we infer that Ag+ is the definitive molecular toxicant. We rule out direct particle-specific biological effects by showing the lack of toxicity of AgNPs when synthesized and tested under strictly anaerobic conditions that preclude Ag(0) oxidation and Ag+ release. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the toxicity of various AgNPs (PEG- or PVP- coated, of three different sizes each) accurately follows the dose–response pattern of E. coli exposed to Ag+ (added as AgNO3). Surprisingly, E. coli survival was stimulated by relatively low (sublethal) concentration of all tested AgNPs and AgNO3 (at 3–8 μg/L Ag+, or 12–31% of the minimum lethal concentration (MLC)), suggesting a hormetic response that would be counterproductive t...

Negligible Particle-Specific Antibacterial Activity of Silver Nanoparticles

A one-step simple synthesis of silver colloid nanoparticles with controllable sizes is presented. In this synthesis, reduction of [Ag(NH3)2]+ complex cation by four saccharides was performed. Four saccharides were used:  two monosaccharides (glucose and galactose) and two disaccharides (maltose and lactose). The syntheses performed at various ammonia concentrations (0.005−0.20 mol L-1) and pH conditions (11.5−13.0) produced a wide range of particle sizes (25−450 nm) with narrow size distributions, especially at the lowest ammonia concentrations. The average size, size distribution, morphology, and structure of particles were determined by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV/Visible absorption spectrophotometry. The influence of the saccharide structure (monosacharides versus disaccharides) on the size of silver particles is briefly discussed. The reduction of [Ag(NH3)2]+ by maltose produced silver particles with a narrow size distribution with an average size of ...

Silver Colloid Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization, and Their Antibacterial Activity

In this work, a simple one-step method of silver nanoparticle (NPs) preparation with controlled size is introduced. Silver NPs were prepared by reduction of [Ag(NH3)2]+ complex cation by d-maltose in the presence of low concentrations (1 × 10–10 mol/L to 1 × 10–7 mol/L) of high-molecular-weight poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). This modification of the reduction reaction results in managing of the prepared silver nanoparticles’ size in the range from 28 nm (the reaction system without PAA) to 77 nm (system with the highest used PAA concentration). The presence of poly(acrylic acid) influences both nucleation process and also the subsequent stage of nanoparticle growth. The rate of nuclei formation by homogeneous nucleation is affected by PAA due to the formation of the strong complex with silver ions which results in a prolongation of the initiation phase of the reduction process proportionally to PAA concentration. The formation of the adsorption layer of PAA on the surface of the emerging silver nuclei prevents...

Tat’jana Nevečná

Papers

Silver Colloid Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization, and Their Antibacterial Activity

Polyacrylate-Assisted Size Control of Silver Nanoparticles and Their Catalytic Activity