One-step synthesis of silver metallosurfactant as an efficient antibacterial and anticancer material

Abstract

In this work a silver based double chained metallosurfactant was synthesized and characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), elemental analyses, X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and thermogravimetry. The rate of decomposition of the Ag metal complex was estimated using the non-isothermal thermogravimetry (TG) method. Similar adducts had been prepared in the past to generate colloidal nanoparticles, however, here we are concentrating on the surface and self aggregation properties of the metal surfactant complex. The emphasis is laid on the aggregation behavior being affected by the presence of metal ions. The formation of metallomicelles was authenticated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), conductivity and surface tension measurements. The formed metallosurfactant was analyzed for its binding with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) using UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy. Furthermore, the potential of the as-synthesized metallosurfactant (CTA–AgB) as an antimicrobial and anticancer agent was evaluated. The anticancer activity was estimated with human leukemia HL-60, pancreatic MIA-Pa-Ca-2 and prostate cancer PC-3 cells using the MTT assay. For antimicrobial activity, a Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli and a Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus and fungi strains, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Cladosporium herbarium, Curvularia lunata, Helminthosporium oryzae were used. Along with the concentration effect, mechanism of action of as-synthesized metallosurfactant against various microbial strains was explored using transmission electron microscopy analyses.