Antimicrobial Effect of Imipenem-Functionalized Fe2O3 Nanoparticles on Pseudomonas aeruginosa Producing Metallo β-lactamases

Mohammad Reza Khataminejad; Reza Mirnejad; Malike Sharif; Mojtaba Hashemi; Nikita Sajadi; Vahhab Piranfar

doi:10.15171/ijb.1138

Antimicrobial Effect of Imipenem-Functionalized Fe₂O₃ Nanoparticles on Pseudomonas aeruginosa Producing Metallo β-lactamases

Iran J Biotechnol. 2015 Dec;13(4):43-47. doi: 10.15171/ijb.1138.

Authors

Mohammad Reza Khataminejad¹, Reza Mirnejad², Malike Sharif³, Mojtaba Hashemi¹, Nikita Sajadi⁴, Vahhab Piranfar^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biology, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran.
² Molecular Biology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
³ Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Department of Microbiology, science and Research Islamic Azad University, Branch Damghan, Damghan, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to imipenem was medical treatment problem, especially in burnt units of hospitals.

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles alone and functionalized with imipenem on P. aeruginosa starins producing metallo β-lactamases (MBL).

Materials and methods: A disk diffusion method was used to isolate a clinical P. aeruginosa producing Metallo β-lactamases with imipenem resistance. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles and imipenem were calculated against the bacteria. The antimicrobial effect of nanoparticles functionalized with the antibiotic was determined. Standard strain of P. aeruginosa ATCC: 27853 was used as control.

Results: The clinical sample was resistant to imipenem (up to 28 μg.mL^-1). Similarly, MIC of the nanoparticles against the isolate was 160 μg.mL^-1. Subsequently, the combination of 16 pg.mL^-1 of antibiotic with 80 μg.mL^-1 of Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles were able to inhibit the growth of the isolate.

Conclusions: Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles functionalized with imipenem can impair antibiotic resistance mechanisms of bacteria as it can make the imipenem resistant the aforementioned bacterium more susceptible to weaker concentrations of antibiotic. It also has its own antibacterial effect in certain concentrations.

Keywords: Fe2O3 nanoparticles; Antimicrobial properties; Pseudomonas aeruginosa.