Abstract
In the present study, the microemulsion-assisted co-precipitation method was utilized for the synthesis of the size-controlled silver nanoparticles and PEGylated silver nanoparticles at different pH (10–12). The nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infra-red spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. These particles were employed for bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus and compared with levofloxacin as a standard bactericidal drug. The results showed that smaller silver nanoparticles (SNPs) possessed higher antibacterial activity. The activity was further enhanced using polyethylene glycol as surface functionalization agent. The pronounced bactericidal effect can be associated to the increase in hydroxyl ions on the surface of silver nanoparticles. The sample P5000SNPs (PEG of M. wt. 5000) exhibited outstanding bactericidal activity against S. aureus and displayed the zone of inhibition (ZOI) 29 mm at pH 10. Furthermore, PEGylation of silver (smaller size of silver ions) with higher molecular weight has shown pronounced bactericidal effect. Therefore, PEGylated SNPs with higher molecular weight are recommended as excellent disinfectants.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agnihotri S, Mukherji S, Mukherji S (2014) Size-controlled silver nanoparticles synthesized over the range 5–100 nm using the same protocol and their antibacterial efficacy. RSC Adv 4:3974–3983
Ajitha B, Reddy YA, Reddy P (2015) Enhanced antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles with controlled particle size by pH variation. Powder Technol 269:110–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2014.08.049
Anigol LB, Charantimath JS, Gurubasavaraj PM (2017) Effect of concentration and pH on the size of silver nanoparticles synthesized by green chemistry. Org Med Chem Int J 3(1):5
Asghari S et al (2012) Toxicity of various silver nanoparticles compared to silver ions in Daphnia magna. J Nanobiotechnol 10:14. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-3155-10-14
Bharadwaj S, Vishnubhotla R, Shan S, Chauhan C, Cho M, Glover SC (2011) Higher molecular weight polyethylene glycol increases cell proliferation while improving barrier function in an in vitro colon cancer model. J Biomed Biotechnol. https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/587470
de Carreira CM, dos Santos SSF, Jorge AC, Lage-Marques JL (2007) Antimicrobial effect of intracanal substances. J Appl Oral Sci 15(453):458
Dobryszycki J, Biallozor S (2001) On some organic inhibitors of zinc corrosion in alkaline media. Corros Sci 43:1309–1319. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0010-938X(00)00155-4
Dong X, Ji X, Wu H, Zhao L, Li J, Yang W (2009) Shape control of silver nanoparticles by stepwise citrate reduction. J Phys Chem C 113:6573–6576. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp900775b
Eby DM, Luckarift HR, Johnson GR (2009) Hybrid antimicrobial enzyme and silver nanoparticle coatings for medical instruments. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 1:1553–1560. https://doi.org/10.1021/am9002155
Gomathi M, Rajkumar PV, Prakasam A, Ravichandran K (2017) Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Datura stramonium leaf extract and assessment of their antibacterial activity. Resour Eff Technol 3:280–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reffit.2016.12.005
Greulich C, Diendorf J, Simon T, Eggeler G, Epple M, Köller M (2011) Uptake and intracellular distribution of silver nanoparticles in human mesenchymal stem cells. Acta Biomater 7:347–354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2010.08.003
Grumelli D, Méndez De Leo LP, Bonazzola C, Zamlynny V, Calvo EJ, Salvarezza RC (2010) Methylene blue incorporation into alkanethiol SAMs on Au(111): effect of hydrocarbon chain ordering. Langmuir 26:8226–8232. https://doi.org/10.1021/la904594p
Gunasundari E, Kumar PS, Christopher FC, Arumugam T, Saravanan A (2017) Green synthesis of metal nanoparticles loaded ultrasonic-assisted Spirulina platensis using algal extract and their antimicrobial activity. IET Nanobiotechnol 11:754–758. https://doi.org/10.1049/iet-nbt.2016.0223
Guo D et al (2013) Anti-leukemia activity of PVP-coated silver nanoparticles via generation of reactive oxygen species and release of silver ions. Biomaterials 34:7884–7894. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2013.07.015
Katwal R, Kaur H, Sharma G, Naushad M, Pathania D (2015) Electrochemical synthesized copper oxide nanoparticles for enhanced photocatalytic and antimicrobial activity. J Ind Eng Chem 31:173–184
Labhasetwar V, Leslie-Pelecky DL (2007) Biomedical applications of nanotechnology. Wiley, New York
Lara HH, Ayala-Núñez NV, del Turrent LCI, Padilla CR (2010) Bactericidal effect of silver nanoparticles against multidrug-resistant bacteria. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 26(615):621. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-009-0211-3
Luna-Hernández E et al (2017) Combined antibacterial/tissue regeneration response in thermal burns promoted by functional chitosan/silver nanocomposites. Int J Biol Macromol 105:1241–1249
Luo C, Zhang Y, Zeng X, Zeng Y, Wang Y (2005) The role of poly(ethylene glycol) in the formation of silver nanoparticles. J Colloid Interface Sci 288:444–448. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2005.03.005
Nel A, **a T, Mädler L, Li N (2006) Toxic potential of materials at the nanolevel. Science 311:622–627. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1114397
Pacioni NL, Borsarelli CD, Rey V, Veglia AV (2015) Synthetic routes for the preparation of silver nanoparticles. In: Alarcon EI, Griffith M, Udekwu KI (eds) Silver Nanoparticle applications: in the fabrication and design of medical and biosensing devices. Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp 13–46
Pal S, Tak YK, Song JM (2007a) Does the antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles depend on the shape of the nanoparticle? A study of the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli. Appl Environ Microbiol 73:1712–1720. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.02218-06
Pal S, Tak YK, Song JM (2007b) Does the antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles depend on the shape of the nanoparticle? A study of the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli. Appl Environ Microbiol 73:1712–1720
Ruparelia JP, Chatterjee AK, Duttagupta SP, Mukherji S (2008) Strain specificity in antimicrobial activity of silver and copper nanoparticles. Acta Biomater 4:707–716. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2007.11.006
Salomoni R, Léo P, Montemor AF, Rinaldi BG, Rodrigues M (2017) Antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Nanotechnol Sci Appl 10:115–121. https://doi.org/10.2147/NSA.S133415
Sharma G, Pathania D, Naushad M (2014a) Preparation, characterization and antimicrobial activity of biopolymer based nanocomposite ion exchanger pectin zirconium(IV) selenotungstophosphate: application for removal of toxic metals. J Ind Eng Chem 20:4482–4490
Sharma VK, Siskova KM, Zboril R, Gardea-Torresdey JL (2014b) Organic-coated silver nanoparticles in biological and environmental conditions: fate, stability and toxicity. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 204:15–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cis.2013.12.002
Sondi I, Salopek-Sondi B (2004) Silver nanoparticles as antimicrobial agent: a case study on E. coli as a model for Gram-negative bacteria. J Colloid Interface Sci 275:177–182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2004.02.012
Sun RW-Y, Chen R, Chung NPY, Ho C-M, Lin C-LS, Che C-M (2005) Silver nanoparticles fabricated in Hepes buffer exhibit cytoprotective activities toward HIV-1 infected cells. Chem Commun. https://doi.org/10.1039/B510984A
Thanh NTK, Maclean N, Mahiddine S (2014) Mechanisms of nucleation and growth of nanoparticles in solution. Chem Rev 114:7610–7630. https://doi.org/10.1021/cr400544s
Tunç S, Duman O (2008) The effect of different molecular weight of poly(ethylene glycol) on the electrokinetic and rheological properties of Na-bentonite suspensions. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 317:93–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2007.09.039
**u Z-M, Zhang Q-B, Puppala HL, Colvin VL, Alvarez PJJ (2012) Negligible particle-specific antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles. Nano Lett 12:4271–4275. https://doi.org/10.1021/nl301934w
Xu M, Liu J, Xu X, Liu S, Peterka F, Ren Y, Zhu X (2018) Synthesis and comparative biological properties of Ag-PEG nanoparticles with tunable morphologies from janus to multi-core shell structure. Materials (Basel) 11:1787. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11101787
Zhang M, Li XH, Gong YD, Zhao NM, Zhang XF (2002) Properties and biocompatibility of chitosan films modified by blending with PEG. Biomaterials 23:2641–2648. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0142-9612(01)00403-3
Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan for providing the financial funding under IRSIP program.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Khan, B., Nawaz, M., Hussain, R. et al. Enhanced antibacterial activity of size-controlled silver and polyethylene glycol functionalized silver nanoparticles. Chem. Pap. 75, 743–752 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-020-01335-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-020-01335-7