Eco-Friendly Selenium Nanoparticle Strategy Against Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilm Formation.

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Microbiology
• Biotechnology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Biological synthesis of nanoparticles offers an eco-friendly route to bioactive materials with low toxicity and enhanced bioavailability.
• Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) are synthesized using microbial resources, leveraging extracellular enzymes and metabolites for reduction and capping.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) using Staphylococcus haemolyticus cell filtrate.
• To characterize the synthesized SeNPs and evaluate their antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer properties.
• To investigate the synergistic effects of SeNPs with conventional antimicrobials and their molecular impact on bacterial biofilm formation.

Main Methods:

• Biosynthesis of SeNPs using Staphylococcus haemolyticus viable cell filtrate and sodium selenite.
• Characterization via UV-Vis spectroscopy, XRD, AFM, FE-SEM, EDX, and zeta potential analysis.
• Antimicrobial assays (MIC) against Staphylococcus aureus, cytotoxicity tests on HdFn and PC3 cells, antioxidant assays, synergistic assays, and PCR analysis of the clfB gene.

Main Results:

• SeNPs exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria, and Candida species.
• SeNPs demonstrated significant antioxidant activity, low cytotoxicity to normal cells, and enhanced anticancer effects against PC3 cells.
• Synergistic effects were observed when SeNPs were combined with conventional antimicrobials, including against multidrug-resistant strains. SeNP treatment modulated the expression of the clfB gene, suggesting interference with biofilm formation.

Conclusions:

• Eco-friendly synthesis of SeNPs using Staphylococcus haemolyticus is feasible, yielding materials with potent antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.
• SeNPs show a favorable safety profile with low cytotoxicity and potential for enhanced anticancer activity.
• The synergistic potential of SeNPs with existing antimicrobials and their ability to interfere with bacterial biofilm formation highlight their therapeutic promise.