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Updated: May 25, 2026

Preparation of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and the Evaluation of their Antibacterial Effects
Published on: September 27, 2024
Nanoparticles functionalized with ampicillin destroy multiple-antibiotic-resistant isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Ashley N Brown1, Kathryn Smith, Tova A Samuels
1Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA.
Abstract:
We show here that silver nanoparticles (AgNP) were intrinsically antibacterial, whereas gold nanoparticles (AuNP) were antimicrobial only when ampicillin was bound to their surfaces. Both AuNP and AgNP functionalized with ampicillin were effective broad-spectrum bactericides against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Most importantly, when AuNP and AgNP were functionalized with ampicillin they became potent bactericidal agents with unique properties that subverted antibiotic resistance mechanisms of multiple-drug-resistant bacteria.
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