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Nanosilver Mitigates Biofilm Formation via FapC Amyloidosis Inhibition
Author(s) -
Huma Zile,
Javed Ibrahim,
Zhang Zhenzhen,
Bilal Hajira,
Sun Yunxiang,
Hussain Syed Zajif,
Davis Thomas P.,
Otzen Daniel E.,
Landersdorfer Cornelia B.,
Ding Feng,
Hussain Irshad,
Ke Pu Chun
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201906674
Subject(s) - biofilm , polyethylenimine , antimicrobial , chemistry , nanoclusters , silver nanoparticle , pseudomonas aeruginosa , extracellular , biophysics , amyloid (mycology) , nanomaterials , bacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , nanoparticle , nanotechnology , biochemistry , materials science , transfection , biology , organic chemistry , inorganic chemistry , genetics , gene
Multidrug resistance of bacteria is a major challenge due to the wide‐spread use of antibiotics. While a range of strategies have been developed in recent years, suppression of bacterial activity and virulence via their network of extracellular amyloid has rarely been explored, especially with nanomaterials. Here, silver nanoparticles and nanoclusters (AgNPs and AgNCs) capped with cationic branched polyethylenimine polymer are synthesized, and their antimicrobial potentials are determined at concentrations safe to mammalian cells. Compared with the ultrasmall AgNCs, AgNPs entail stronger binding to suppress the fibrillization of FapC, a major protein constituent of the extracellular amyloid matrix of Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Both types of nanoparticles exhibit concentration‐dependent antibiofilm and antimicrobial properties against P. aeruginosa . At concentrations of 1 × 10 −6 m or below, both the bactericidal activity of AgNCs and the antibiofilm capacity of AgNPs are associated with their structure‐mediated bio–nano interactions but not ion release. For AgNPs, specifically, their antibiofilm potency correlates with their capacity of FapC fibrillization inhibition, but not with their bactericidal activity. This study demonstrates the antimicrobial potential of safe nanotechnology through the novel route of amyloidosis inhibition.