Nanoparticles and their antimicrobial properties against pathogens including bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses

• Published in: Microbial pathogenesis Vol. 123; pp. 505 - 526
• Main Authors: Khezerlou, Arezou, Alizadeh-Sani, Mahmood, Azizi-Lalabadi, Maryam, Ehsani, Ali
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-10-2018
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Infective Agents - chemistry; Anti-Infective Agents - pharmacology; Anti-Infective Agents - therapeutic use; Antimicrobial activity; Bacteria - drug effects; Cell toxicity; Food Preservation; Fungi - drug effects; Humans; Metal Nanoparticles; Metals; Nanoparticles; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Nanoparticles - therapeutic use; Nanoparticles - toxicity; Nanotechnology; Parasites - drug effects; Particle Size; Pathogenic microorganisms; Reactive oxygen species; Viruses - drug effects; Nanoparticles; Cell toxicity; Reactive oxygen species; Antimicrobial activity; Pathogenic microorganisms
• ISSN: 0882-4010; 1096-1208
• DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2018.08.008

In recent year, propagation and resistance of pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, fungi and virals) to common antimicrobial agents has led to serious health and food problems. Today, nanotechnology science and nanoparticles (NPs) have been identified as a new approach to deal with this problem because of their inherent antimicrobial activity. Several studies have reported that, NPs (metal and metal oxide) are considered as a group of materials that can be studied due to their antimicrobial properties. In this review, we investigated recent studies regarding the antimicrobial activity of NPs with their mechanism of action. Many research has proved that particle size is a significant factor which indicates the antimicrobial effectiveness of NPs. The use of NPs as antimicrobial component especially in the food additives and medical application can be one of the new and considerable strategies for overcoming pathogenic microorganisms. Nevertheless, more studies must be conducted to minimize the possible toxicity of NPs in order to use as suitable alternatives for disinfectants and antibacterial agents in food applications.
Mechanisms of antimicrobial activity of NPs against pathogens. NPs and their ions (e.g., titanium, silver and zinc) generate free radicals, and lead to induction of oxidative stress (i.e., reactive oxygen species; ROS). The generated ROS can damage and destroy the cellular components of the pathogens irreversibly, (e.g., membrane, DNA, protein and mitochondria), resulting in cell death. [Display omitted]
•We review antimicrobial activity of nanoparticles against pathogens.•We examine the mechanism of action of nanoparticles in the inactivation, inhibition and destruction of microorganisms.•We review the cell toxicity of nanoparticles in human cell.