Antimicrobial Effects of Gum Arabic-Silver Nanoparticles against Oral Pathogens

Omnia Ahmed; Nicole R S Sibuyi; Adewale O Fadaka; Abram M Madiehe; Ernest Maboza; Annette Olivier; Mervin Meyer; Greta Geerts

doi:10.1155/2022/9602325

Antimicrobial Effects of Gum Arabic-Silver Nanoparticles against Oral Pathogens

Bioinorg Chem Appl. 2022 Dec 13:2022:9602325. doi: 10.1155/2022/9602325. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Omnia Ahmed¹, Nicole R S Sibuyi², Adewale O Fadaka², Abram M Madiehe², Ernest Maboza³, Annette Olivier³, Mervin Meyer², Greta Geerts¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa.
² Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) - Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Centre (NIC) Biolabels Research Node, Department of Biotechnology, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa.
³ Oral and Dental Research Laboratory, Faculty of Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa.

Abstract

Dental caries is considered one of the most prevalent oral diseases worldwide, with a high rate of morbidity among populations. It is a chronic infectious disease with a multifactorial etiology that leads to the destruction of the dental tissues. Due to their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antioxidant properties; silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are incorporated in dental products to help prevent infectious oral diseases. In this study, the antimicrobial effects of AgNPs synthesized using Gum Arabic extracts (GAE) were examined. The GA-AgNPs were synthesized and characterized using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometer, dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The antimicrobial activity of the GA-AgNPs was evaluated on Streptococcus sanguinis (S. sanguinis), Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus), and Candida albicans (C. albicans) using agar disc diffusion and microdilution assays. The antibiofilm of GA-AgNPs was evaluated on the surface of human tooth enamel that had been exposed to S. mutans with and without the GA-AgNPs using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). GA-AgNPs were spherical in shape with a particle size distribution between 4 and 26 nm. The GA-AgNPs exhibited antimicrobial activity against all the tested oral microbes, with GA-AgNPs_0.4g having higher antimicrobial activity. The GA-AgNPs_0.4g inhibited S. mutans adhesion and biofilm formation on the surface of the tooth enamel. Therefore, this study supports the prospective implementation of the plant extract-mediated AgNPs in dental healthcare.