The Impact of Berberine Loaded Selenium Nanoparticles on K. pneumoniae and Candida albicans Antibiotics Resistance Isolates

• Published in: Archives of Razi Institute Vol. 78; no. 3; pp. 1005 - 1015
• Main Authors: Hasan, M F, Jawad Kadhim, M, Al-Awady, M J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Iran 01-06-2023
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Berberine - pharmacology; Candida albicans - physiology; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Nanoparticles; Selenium - pharmacology; Candida albicans; Berberine; K. pneumonia; Selenium nanoparticles
• ISSN: 2008-9872
• DOI: 10.22092/ARI.2022.359898.2509

This study aimed to investigate the antibacterial and antifungal activities of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) and berberine (BBR) despite antibiotic resistance against
and
. Cells of
and
were treated with solutions of different concentrations of each bare SeNPs, BBR, and BBR-loaded SeNPs (BLS) using the disk diffusion method. The results indicated that the activities of SeNPs, BBR, and BLS were statistically significant (
<0.05) when the concentration of all agents increased. Moreover, it was found that BLS had a statistically significant effect against
and
, compared to SeNPs and BBR alone (
<0.05). The largest zones of inhibition of SeNPs were 14 and 16 mm toward
and
, respectively, at the concentration of 20 Mml, compared to the concentrations of 10 and 15 Mml. Furthermore, BBR showed a maximum zone of inhibition at the concentration of 1,200 mg (15 mm for
and 18 mm for
) and it was statistically significant in comparison with other concentrations of 400 and 800 mg. In addition, the BLS underwent a statistically significant increase (
<0.05) when the concentration increased and it registered a large zone of inhibition of 22 and 25 mm against
and
, respectively, at 20 Mml of SeNPs: 1,200 mg BBR, compared to 10 Mml of SeNPs: 400 mg BBR and 15 Mml of SeNPs: 800 mg BBR. Based on the results of the current study, there was a statistically synergistic effect of BBR-loaded SeNPs, compared to that of BBR and Se nanoparticles, only in the case of both
and
. This study is promising as a blueprint for the enhancement of weak antimicrobial agents and their return to their previous role as antibiotics.