Highly efficient and selective antimicrobial isonicotinylhydrazide-coated polyoxometalate-functionalized silver...

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Materials Science
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• The rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria necessitates novel antimicrobial strategies.
• Conventional antibiotics face increasing resistance, driving the search for alternative treatments.
• Multimodal antimicrobials offer a promising approach to overcome resistance mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel multimodal antimicrobials.
• To evaluate the antibacterial efficacy and selectivity of these new agents.
• To explore the potential of functional nanozymes in combating antibiotic resistance.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of silver nanoparticles integrated with isonicotinylhydrazide (AgNPs^INH) and further functionalized with polyoxometalates (POMs) like phosphotungstic acid (PTA) and phosphomolybdic acid (PMA).
• Assessment of antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus).
• Evaluation of cytotoxicity using m5S mouse fibroblasts via WST-8, LDH viability assays, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and crystal violet staining.

Main Results:

• The synthesized AgNPs^INH@PTA and AgNPs^INH@PMA demonstrated enhanced antibacterial activity compared to AgNPs^INH alone.
• These functional nanozymes exhibited significant antibacterial potential against S. aureus.
• The nanoparticles showed very low cytotoxicity towards m5S mouse fibroblasts, outperforming free silver ions, pristine POMs, and INH.

Conclusions:

• Multimodal antimicrobials integrating AgNPs, INH, and POMs are effective against S. aureus.
• These functional nanozymes offer a selective and potent antimicrobial approach.
• The developed materials represent a promising advancement in the fight against the post-antibiotic era and MDR pathogens.