The DOI matches its Crossref record; 40 of the 40 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Negligible Particle-Specific Antibacterial Activity of Silver Nanoparticles
Abstract
For nearly a decade, researchers have debated the mechanisms by which AgNPs exert toxicity to bacteria and other organisms. The most elusive question has been whether the AgNPs exert direct "particle-specific" effects beyond the known antimicrobial activity of released silver ions (Ag(+)). Here, we infer that Ag(+) is the definitive molecular toxicant. We rule out direct particle-specific biological effects by showing the lack of toxicity of AgNPs when synthesized and tested under strictly anaerobic conditions that preclude Ag(0) oxidation and Ag(+) release. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the toxicity of various AgNPs (PEG- or PVP- coated, of three different sizes each) accurately follows the dose-response pattern of E. coli exposed to Ag(+) (added as AgNO(3)). Surprisingly, E. coli survival was stimulated by relatively low (sublethal) concentration of all tested AgNPs and AgNO(3) (at 3-8 μg/L Ag(+), or 12-31% of the minimum lethal concentration (MLC)), suggesting a hormetic response that would be counterproductive to antimicrobial applications. Overall, this work suggests that AgNP morphological properties known to affect antimicrobial activity are indirect effectors that primarily influence Ag(+) release. Accordingly, antibacterial activity could be controlled (and environmental impacts could be mitigated) by modulating Ag(+) release, possibly through manipulation of oxygen availability, particle size, shape, and/or type of coating.
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Cites
The bactericidal effect of silver nanoparticles
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Antimicrobial effects of silver nanoparticles
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Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity of Silver Nanoparticles in Human Cells
AshaRani, P. V., Low Kah Mun, G., Hande, M. P., & Valiyaveettil, S. (2009) · ACS Nano · doi:10.1021/nn800596w · Cited by 3,692
Silver Colloid Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization, and Their Antibacterial Activity
Panáček, A., Kvítek, L., Prucek, R., Kolář, M., Večeřová, R., Pizúrová, N., Sharma, V. K., Nevěčná, T., & Zbořil, R. (2006) · The Journal of Physical Chemistry B · doi:10.1021/jp063826h · Cited by 2,339
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Toxicity of Silver Nanoparticles to Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
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Cited by
Antimicrobial activity of metals: mechanisms, molecular targets and applications
Lemire, J. A., Harrison, J. J., & Turner, R. J. (2013) · Nature Reviews Microbiology · doi:10.1038/nrmicro3028 · Cited by 2,746
Applications of nanotechnology in water and wastewater treatment
Qu, X., Alvarez, P. J. J., & Li, Q. (2013) · Water Research · doi:10.1016/j.watres.2012.09.058 · Cited by 2,444
Self-citationSilver nanoparticles: A new view on mechanistic aspects on antimicrobial activity
Durán, N., Durán, M., de Jesus, M. B., Seabra, A. B., Fávaro, W. J., & Nakazato, G. (2016) · Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.nano.2015.11.016 · Cited by 1,542
Gan, D., Xing, W., Jiang, L., Fang, J., Zhao, C., Ren, F., Fang, L., Wang, K., & Lu, X. (2019) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-019-09351-2 · Cited by 1,029
A Review of Removal of Pollutants from Water/Wastewater Using Different Types of Nanomaterials
Amin, M. T., Alazba, A. A., & Manzoor, U. (2014) · Advances in Materials Science and Engineering · doi:10.1155/2014/825910 · Cited by 645
Metadata
- Authors
- Xiu, Z.-M., Zhang, Q.-B., Puppala, H. L., Colvin, V. L., & Alvarez, P. J. J.
- Venue
- Nano Letters
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2012-07-09
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 4271-4275
- ISSN
- 1530-6984 (ISSN-L)
- 1530-6992
- OpenAlex
- W1981224435
- Cited by
- 2,108
- References
- 40
- FWCI
- 68.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
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