Journal ArticleDOI
Antimicrobial activity of metals: mechanisms, molecular targets and applications
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TLDR
The chemical and toxicological principles that underlie the antimicrobial activity of metals are described and the preferences of metal atoms for specific microbial targets are discussed.Abstract:
Metals have been used as antimicrobial agents since antiquity, but throughout most of history their modes of action have remained unclear. Recent studies indicate that different metals cause discrete and distinct types of injuries to microbial cells as a result of oxidative stress, protein dysfunction or membrane damage. Here, we describe the chemical and toxicological principles that underlie the antimicrobial activity of metals and discuss the preferences of metal atoms for specific microbial targets. Interdisciplinary research is advancing not only our understanding of metal toxicity but also the design of metal-based compounds for use as antimicrobial agents and alternatives to antibiotics.read more
Citations
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Reactive oxygen species generating systems meeting challenges of photodynamic cancer therapy
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Journal ArticleDOI
Silver nanoparticles: A new view on mechanistic aspects on antimicrobial activity
Nelson Durán,Marcela Durán,Marcelo Bispo de Jesus,Amedea B. Seabra,Wagner José Fávaro,Gerson Nakazato +5 more
TL;DR: This overview incorporates a retrospective of previous reviews published from 2007 to 2013 and recent original contributions on the progress of research on antimicrobial mechanisms to summarize the current knowledge in the field of antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles.
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Targeting microbial biofilms: current and prospective therapeutic strategies.
TL;DR: This Review focuses on current therapeutic strategies and those under development that target vital structural and functional traits of microbial biofilms and drug tolerance mechanisms, including the extracellular matrix and dormant cells.
Journal ArticleDOI
A New Strategy for Heavy Metal Polluted Environments: A Review of Microbial Biosorbents
TL;DR: The sources of toxic heavy metals are discussed, the groups of microorganisms with biosorbent potential for heavy metal removal are described and the use of microbial biosorbents is eco-friendly and cost effective.
Journal ArticleDOI
Antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles: A surface science insight
TL;DR: In this paper, the main parameters that will affect the surface state of nanoparticles and their influence on antimicrobial efficacy are reviewed and an analysis of several works on Ag NPs activity, observed through the scope of an oxidative Ag+ release.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Chemiosmotic Mechanism of Antimicrobial Activity of Ag+ in Vibrio cholerae
TL;DR: It is shown that low concentrations of Ag+ induce a massive proton leakage through the Vibrio cholerae membrane, which results in complete deenergization and, with a high degree of probability, cell death.
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Application of metal coordination chemistry to explore and manipulate cell biology.
TL;DR: Inorganic compounds should not be overlooked in the realm of chemical biology, since their distinctive electronic, chemical, and photophysical properties render them particularly useful for a variety of applications.
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Silver as biocides in burn and wound dressings and bacterial resistance to silver compounds
TL;DR: Key issues remain, including importantly the relative efficacy of different silver products for wound and burn uses and the existence of microbes that are resistant to Ag+.
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History of the medical use of silver.
TL;DR: Silver was the most important antimicrobial agent available before the introduction of antibiotics and has been effective against almost all organisms tested.
Journal ArticleDOI
Molecular basis of metal-ion selectivity and zeptomolar sensitivity by CueR
Anita Changela,Kui Chen,Yi Xue,Jackie Holschen,Caryn E. Outten,Thomas V. O'Halloran,Alfonso Mondragón +6 more
TL;DR: An unusual buried metal-receptor site in CueR restricts the metal to a linear, two-coordinate geometry and uses helix-dipole and hydrogen-bonding interactions to enhance metal binding, which is rare among metalloproteins but well suited for an ultrasensitive genetic switch.