Synergistic and Antagonistic Effects of Metal Nanoparticles in Combination with Antibiotics Against Some Reference Strains of Pathogenic Microorganisms

Usama H Abo-Shama; Hanem El-Gendy; Walid S Mousa; Ragaa A Hamouda; Wesam E Yousuf; Helal F Hetta; Eman E Abdeen

doi:10.2147/IDR.S234425

Synergistic and Antagonistic Effects of Metal Nanoparticles in Combination with Antibiotics Against Some Reference Strains of Pathogenic Microorganisms

Infect Drug Resist. 2020 Feb 7:13:351-362. doi: 10.2147/IDR.S234425. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Usama H Abo-Shama¹, Hanem El-Gendy², Walid S Mousa³, Ragaa A Hamouda^{4

5}, Wesam E Yousuf⁴, Helal F Hetta^{6

7}, Eman E Abdeen⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag 82524, Egypt.
² Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sadat City, Sadat City, Egypt.
³ Department of Animal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sadat City, Sadat City, Egypt.
⁴ Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, University of Sadat City, Sadat City, Egypt.
⁵ Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Arts Khulais, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
⁷ Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
⁸ Department of Bacteriology, Mycology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sadat City, Sadat City, Egypt.

Abstract

Background and aim: Nanosized inorganic antibacterial materials have received increasing attention in recent years. The present study aimed to determine the antimicrobial activity of silver (Ag) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles alone and in combination with antibiotics against reference strains of pathogenic microorganisms as Staphylococcus aureus (Staph. aureus), Salmonella enterica subsp. Bukuru, Escherichia coli (E.coli) and Candida albicans ( C. albicans).

Methods: The antimicrobial effect of metal-nanoparticles (AgNPs and ZnONPS) and in combination with antibiotics was studied using the normal disc-diffusion method.

Results: Both AgNPs and ZnONPs had increased antibacterial activity with an increase in their concentration against Gram-positive bacterium (Staph. aureus), Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli and Salmonella spp) and no effect on C. albicans. The synergistic effect of antibiotics (azithromycin, cefotaxime, cefuroxime, fosfomycin and chloramphenicol) against E. coli was significantly increased in the presence of AgNPs compared to antibiotic only. However, all antibiotics had a synergistic effect in the presence of AgNps against Salmonella spp. On the other hand, the antibacterial action of AgNPs with oxacillin and neomycin antibiotics against Staph. aureus was significantly decreased in comparison with antibiotics only. The synergistic effect of antibiotics (azithromycin, oxacillin, cefotaxime, cefuroxime, fosfomycin and oxytetracycline) against E. coli was significantly increased in presence of ZnONPs compared to antibiotic only and also the synergistic effect of antibiotics (azithromycin, cefotaxime, cefuroxime, fosfomycin, chloramphenicol and oxytetracycline) against Staph. aureus was significantly increased in the presence of ZnONPs compared to antibiotics only. On the other hand, most antibiotics had an antagonistic effect in presence of ZnONps against Salmonella spp.

Conclusion: AgNPs and ZnONPs demonstrate a good synergistic effect with antibiotics and this may open the door for a future combination therapy against pathogenic bacteria.

Keywords: AgNPs; Candida albicans; Salmonella spp; ZnONPs; antimicrobial activity E. coli Staph. aureus.

Grants and funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.