Issue 21, 2023

Enhancing the antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles against ESKAPE bacteria and emerging fungal pathogens by using tea extracts

Abstract

The sale of antibiotics and antifungals has skyrocketed since 2020. The increasing threat of pathogens like ESKAPE bacteria (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp.), which are effective in evading existing antibiotics, and yeasts like Candida auris or Cryptococcus neoformans is pressing to develop efficient antimicrobial alternatives. Nanoparticles, especially silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), are believed to be promising candidates to supplement or even replace antibiotics in some applications. Here, we propose a way to increase the antimicrobial efficiency of silver nanoparticles by using tea extracts (black, green, or red) for their synthesis. This allows for using lower concentrations of nanoparticles and obtaining the antimicrobial effect in a short time. We found that AgNPs synthesized using green tea extract (G-TeaNPs) are the most effective, causing approximately 80% bacterial cell death in Gram-negative bacteria within only 3 hours at a concentration of 0.1 mg mL−1, which is better than antibiotics. Ampicillin at the same concentration (0.1 mg mL−1) and within the same duration (3 h) causes only up to 40% decrease in the number of S. aureus and E. cloacae cells (non-resistant strains). The tested silver nanoparticles also have antifungal properties and are effective against C. auris and C. neoformans, which are difficult to eradicate using other means. We established that silver nanoparticles synthesized with tea extracts have higher antibacterial properties than silver nanoparticles alone. Such formulations using inexpensive tea extracts and lower concentrations of silver nanoparticles show a promising solution to fight various pathogens.

Graphical abstract: Enhancing the antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles against ESKAPE bacteria and emerging fungal pathogens by using tea extracts

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
06 Apr. 2023
Accepted
12 Aug. 2023
First published
23 Aug. 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Nanoscale Adv., 2023,5, 5786-5798

Enhancing the antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles against ESKAPE bacteria and emerging fungal pathogens by using tea extracts

S. Raza, M. Wdowiak, M. Grotek, W. Adamkiewicz, K. Nikiforow, P. Mente and J. Paczesny, Nanoscale Adv., 2023, 5, 5786 DOI: 10.1039/D3NA00220A

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