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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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.
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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.
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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
Femtomolar Sensitivity of Metalloregulatory Proteins Controlling Zinc Homeostasis
TL;DR: The mechanism of zinc sensors that control metal uptake or export in Escherichia coli are determined and their response against the thermodynamically defined free zinc concentration suggests an extraordinary intracellular zinc-binding capacity.
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Efflux‐mediated heavy metal resistance in prokaryotes
TL;DR: The complement of efflux systems of 63 sequenced prokaryotes was compared with that of the heavy metal resistant bacterium Ralstonia metallidurans and showed that heavy metal resistance is the result of multiple layers of resistance systems with overlapping substrate specificities, but unique functions.
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Antibacterial activity and mechanism of silver nanoparticles on Escherichia coli.
TL;DR: The combined results suggested that SNPs may damage the structure of bacterial cell membrane and depress the activity of some membranous enzymes, which cause E. coli bacteria to die eventually.
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BACTERIAL HEAVY METAL RESISTANCE: New Surprises
Simon Silver,Le T. Phung +1 more
TL;DR: The first bacterial metallothionein cation-binding proteins, which by definition is a small protein that binds metal cations by means of numerous cysteine thiolates, has been characterized in cyanobacteria.
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Metallic Copper as an Antimicrobial Surface
TL;DR: The mechanism of contact killing is understood since it may bear on central issues, such as the possibility of the emergence and spread of resistant organisms, cleaning procedures, and questions of material and object engineering.