Issue 9, 2024

Antimicrobial effects of silver nanoparticle-microspots on the mechanical properties of single bacteria

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) conjugated with polymers are well-known for their powerful and effective antimicrobial properties. In particular, the incorporation of AgNPs in biocompatible catecholamine-based polymers, such as polydopamine (PDA), has recently shown promising antimicrobial activity, due to the synergistic effects of the AgNPs, silver(I) ions released and PDA. In this study, we generated AgNPs-PDA-patterned surfaces by localised electrochemical depositions, using a double potentiostatic method via scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM). This technique enabled the assessment of a wide parameter space in a high-throughput manner. The optimised electrodeposition process resulted in stable and homogeneously distributed AgNP-microspots, and their antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli was assessed using atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based force spectroscopy, in terms of bacterial adhesion and cell elasticity. We observed that the bacterial outer membrane underwent significant structural changes, when in close proximity to the AgNPs, namely increased hydrophilicity and stiffness loss. The spatially varied antimicrobial effect found experimentally was rationalised by numerical simulations of silver(I) concentration profiles.

Graphical abstract: Antimicrobial effects of silver nanoparticle-microspots on the mechanical properties of single bacteria

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
31 jan 2024
Accepted
21 mar 2024
First published
22 mar 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Analyst, 2024,149, 2637-2646

Antimicrobial effects of silver nanoparticle-microspots on the mechanical properties of single bacteria

G. Caniglia, D. Valavanis, G. Tezcan, J. Magiera, H. Barth, J. Bansmann, C. Kranz and P. R. Unwin, Analyst, 2024, 149, 2637 DOI: 10.1039/D4AN00174E

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