Ultrastructural changes in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus induced by positively charged silver nanoparticles
Silver nanoparticles offer a possible means of fighting antibacterial resistance. Most of their antibacterial properties are attributed to their silver ions. In the present work, we study the actions of positively charged silver nanoparticles against both methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Beilstein-Institut
2015-12-01
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| Series: | Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.6.246 |
| _version_ | 1818913788624109568 |
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| author | Dulce G. Romero-Urbina Humberto H. Lara J. Jesús Velázquez-Salazar M. Josefina Arellano-Jiménez Eduardo Larios Anand Srinivasan Jose L. Lopez-Ribot Miguel José Yacamán |
| author_facet | Dulce G. Romero-Urbina Humberto H. Lara J. Jesús Velázquez-Salazar M. Josefina Arellano-Jiménez Eduardo Larios Anand Srinivasan Jose L. Lopez-Ribot Miguel José Yacamán |
| author_sort | Dulce G. Romero-Urbina |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Silver nanoparticles offer a possible means of fighting antibacterial resistance. Most of their antibacterial properties are attributed to their silver ions. In the present work, we study the actions of positively charged silver nanoparticles against both methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. We use aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy to examine the bactericidal effects of silver nanoparticles and the ultrastructural changes in bacteria that are induced by silver nanoparticles. The study revealed that our 1 nm average size silver nanoparticles induced thinning and permeabilization of the cell wall, destabilization of the peptidoglycan layer, and subsequent leakage of intracellular content, causing bacterial cell lysis. We hypothesize that positively charged silver nanoparticles bind to the negatively charged polyanionic backbones of teichoic acids and the related cell wall glycopolymers of bacteria as a first target, consequently stressing the structure and permeability of the cell wall. This hypothesis provides a major mechanism to explain the antibacterial effects of silver nanoparticles on Staphylococcus aureus. Future research should focus on defining the related molecular mechanisms and their importance to the antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T23:36:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-75fe5d4d23574000ac22b7eacd640803 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2190-4286 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T23:36:03Z |
| publishDate | 2015-12-01 |
| publisher | Beilstein-Institut |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology |
| spelling | doaj.art-75fe5d4d23574000ac22b7eacd6408032022-12-21T20:01:35ZengBeilstein-InstitutBeilstein Journal of Nanotechnology2190-42862015-12-01612396240510.3762/bjnano.6.2462190-4286-6-246Ultrastructural changes in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus induced by positively charged silver nanoparticlesDulce G. Romero-Urbina0Humberto H. Lara1J. Jesús Velázquez-Salazar2M. Josefina Arellano-Jiménez3Eduardo Larios4Anand Srinivasan5Jose L. Lopez-Ribot6Miguel José Yacamán7Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USADepartment of Biology and South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USADepartment of Biology and South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USASilver nanoparticles offer a possible means of fighting antibacterial resistance. Most of their antibacterial properties are attributed to their silver ions. In the present work, we study the actions of positively charged silver nanoparticles against both methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. We use aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy to examine the bactericidal effects of silver nanoparticles and the ultrastructural changes in bacteria that are induced by silver nanoparticles. The study revealed that our 1 nm average size silver nanoparticles induced thinning and permeabilization of the cell wall, destabilization of the peptidoglycan layer, and subsequent leakage of intracellular content, causing bacterial cell lysis. We hypothesize that positively charged silver nanoparticles bind to the negatively charged polyanionic backbones of teichoic acids and the related cell wall glycopolymers of bacteria as a first target, consequently stressing the structure and permeability of the cell wall. This hypothesis provides a major mechanism to explain the antibacterial effects of silver nanoparticles on Staphylococcus aureus. Future research should focus on defining the related molecular mechanisms and their importance to the antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles.https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.6.246electron microscopymethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)positively charged nanoparticlessilver nanoparticlesStaphylococcus aureuswall teichoic acids |
| spellingShingle | Dulce G. Romero-Urbina Humberto H. Lara J. Jesús Velázquez-Salazar M. Josefina Arellano-Jiménez Eduardo Larios Anand Srinivasan Jose L. Lopez-Ribot Miguel José Yacamán Ultrastructural changes in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus induced by positively charged silver nanoparticles Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology electron microscopy methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) positively charged nanoparticles silver nanoparticles Staphylococcus aureus wall teichoic acids |
| title | Ultrastructural changes in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus induced by positively charged silver nanoparticles |
| title_full | Ultrastructural changes in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus induced by positively charged silver nanoparticles |
| title_fullStr | Ultrastructural changes in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus induced by positively charged silver nanoparticles |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ultrastructural changes in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus induced by positively charged silver nanoparticles |
| title_short | Ultrastructural changes in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus induced by positively charged silver nanoparticles |
| title_sort | ultrastructural changes in methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus induced by positively charged silver nanoparticles |
| topic | electron microscopy methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) positively charged nanoparticles silver nanoparticles Staphylococcus aureus wall teichoic acids |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.6.246 |
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