Harnessing Silver Nanoclusters to Combat <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> in the Era of Antibiotic Resistance
<b>Background/Objectives</b>: In the race to develop new antibiotics to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria, particularly the <i>ESKAPE</i> pathogens which pose a significant threat to public health, silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) have emerged as a promising alternative. This ar...
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2025-03-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/3/393 |
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| author | Julieta Chiappero Gustavo A. Monti Diego F. Acevedo Natalia S. Paulucci Edith I. Yslas |
| author_facet | Julieta Chiappero Gustavo A. Monti Diego F. Acevedo Natalia S. Paulucci Edith I. Yslas |
| author_sort | Julieta Chiappero |
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| description | <b>Background/Objectives</b>: In the race to develop new antibiotics to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria, particularly the <i>ESKAPE</i> pathogens which pose a significant threat to public health, silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) have emerged as a promising alternative. This article focuses on the potential of novel silver nanoclusters as an antimicrobial agent against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, a high-priority pathogen known for its ability to cause persistent nosocomial infections and develop protective biofilms. <b>Methods</b>: In this study, we successfully synthesized AgNCs at pH 7 using an eco-friendly photoreduction method with poly acrylic acid (PAA) and poly methacrylic acid (PMAA) as stabilizers. This methodology produced fluorescent AgNCs, demonstrating their stability in aqueous solutions for at least three months and highlighting the effectiveness of PAA and PMAA as stabilizing agents. The AgNCs were incubated with <i>S. aureus</i> suspension, and the antimicrobial capability at different concentrations and times of incubation were determined. Also, the AgNCs hemocompatibility was studied by exposing the clusters to rat blood cells. <b>Results</b>: The in vitro assays revealed that AgNCs capping with PAA or PMAA has antimicrobial activity in low doses (the determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC): 0.2 µg/mL, and the determination of minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC): 2 µg/mL) and without cytotoxicity (hemolysis less than 10%) to rat blood cells until 1 µg/mL. In the presence of both AgNCs (5 µg/mL), bacterial growth was completely inhibited within just 3 h. <b>Conclusions:</b> The findings of this study highlight the potential of silver nanoclusters as effective antimicrobial agents against <i>S. aureus</i>. Their stability, low toxicity, and rapid bactericidal activity make them promising candidates for further development in antimicrobial applications. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1999-4923 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pharmaceutics |
| spelling | doaj-art-8030cdcc718e4a01b75099b3ec2d36cd2025-08-20T01:48:45ZengMDPI AGPharmaceutics1999-49232025-03-0117339310.3390/pharmaceutics17030393Harnessing Silver Nanoclusters to Combat <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> in the Era of Antibiotic ResistanceJulieta Chiappero0Gustavo A. Monti1Diego F. Acevedo2Natalia S. Paulucci3Edith I. Yslas4Departamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físico-Químicas y Naturales, Instituto de Biotecnología Ambiental y Salud, INBIAS, CONICET-UNRC, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Río Cuarto 5800, ArgentinaDepartamento de Tecnología Química, Facultad de Ingeniería, Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnologías Energéticas y Materiales Avanzados, IITEMA, CONICET-UNRC, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Río Cuarto 5800, ArgentinaDepartamento de Tecnología Química, Facultad de Ingeniería, Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnologías Energéticas y Materiales Avanzados, IITEMA, CONICET-UNRC, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Río Cuarto 5800, ArgentinaDepartamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físico-Químicas y Naturales, Instituto de Biotecnología Ambiental y Salud, INBIAS, CONICET-UNRC, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Río Cuarto 5800, ArgentinaDepartamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físico-Químicas y Naturales, Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnologías Energéticas y Materiales Avanzados, IITEMA, CONICET-UNRC, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Río Cuarto 5800, Argentina<b>Background/Objectives</b>: In the race to develop new antibiotics to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria, particularly the <i>ESKAPE</i> pathogens which pose a significant threat to public health, silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) have emerged as a promising alternative. This article focuses on the potential of novel silver nanoclusters as an antimicrobial agent against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, a high-priority pathogen known for its ability to cause persistent nosocomial infections and develop protective biofilms. <b>Methods</b>: In this study, we successfully synthesized AgNCs at pH 7 using an eco-friendly photoreduction method with poly acrylic acid (PAA) and poly methacrylic acid (PMAA) as stabilizers. This methodology produced fluorescent AgNCs, demonstrating their stability in aqueous solutions for at least three months and highlighting the effectiveness of PAA and PMAA as stabilizing agents. The AgNCs were incubated with <i>S. aureus</i> suspension, and the antimicrobial capability at different concentrations and times of incubation were determined. Also, the AgNCs hemocompatibility was studied by exposing the clusters to rat blood cells. <b>Results</b>: The in vitro assays revealed that AgNCs capping with PAA or PMAA has antimicrobial activity in low doses (the determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC): 0.2 µg/mL, and the determination of minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC): 2 µg/mL) and without cytotoxicity (hemolysis less than 10%) to rat blood cells until 1 µg/mL. In the presence of both AgNCs (5 µg/mL), bacterial growth was completely inhibited within just 3 h. <b>Conclusions:</b> The findings of this study highlight the potential of silver nanoclusters as effective antimicrobial agents against <i>S. aureus</i>. Their stability, low toxicity, and rapid bactericidal activity make them promising candidates for further development in antimicrobial applications.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/3/393silver nanoclusterseco-friendly synthesisstabilizing polymersbacterial infections<i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>antimicrobial activity |
| spellingShingle | Julieta Chiappero Gustavo A. Monti Diego F. Acevedo Natalia S. Paulucci Edith I. Yslas Harnessing Silver Nanoclusters to Combat <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> in the Era of Antibiotic Resistance Pharmaceutics silver nanoclusters eco-friendly synthesis stabilizing polymers bacterial infections <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> antimicrobial activity |
| title | Harnessing Silver Nanoclusters to Combat <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> in the Era of Antibiotic Resistance |
| title_full | Harnessing Silver Nanoclusters to Combat <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> in the Era of Antibiotic Resistance |
| title_fullStr | Harnessing Silver Nanoclusters to Combat <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> in the Era of Antibiotic Resistance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Harnessing Silver Nanoclusters to Combat <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> in the Era of Antibiotic Resistance |
| title_short | Harnessing Silver Nanoclusters to Combat <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> in the Era of Antibiotic Resistance |
| title_sort | harnessing silver nanoclusters to combat i staphylococcus aureus i in the era of antibiotic resistance |
| topic | silver nanoclusters eco-friendly synthesis stabilizing polymers bacterial infections <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> antimicrobial activity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/3/393 |
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