Trichoderma-Mediated ZnO Nanoparticles and Their Antibiofilm and Antibacterial Activities

Balagangadharaswamy Shobha; Bagepalli Shivaram Ashwini; Mohammed Ghazwani; Umme Hani; Banan Atwah; Maryam S Alhumaidi; Sumanth Basavaraju; Srinivas Chowdappa; Tekupalli Ravikiran; Shadma Wahab; Wasim Ahmad; Thimappa Ramachandrappa Lakshmeesha; Mohammad Azam Ansari

doi:10.3390/jof9020133

Trichoderma-Mediated ZnO Nanoparticles and Their Antibiofilm and Antibacterial Activities

J Fungi (Basel). 2023 Jan 18;9(2):133. doi: 10.3390/jof9020133.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Bangalore University, Jnana Bharathi Campus, Bengaluru 560056, India.
² Department of Microbiology, Sri Siddhartha Medical College, Tumkur 572107, India.
³ Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Laboratory Medicine Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 24382, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Hafr Al Batin, Hafr Al Batin 31991, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Department of Pharmacy, Mohammed Al-Mana College for Medical Sciences, Dammam 34222, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Department of Epidemic Disease Research, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance is a major global health concern and one of the gravest challenges to humanity today. Antibiotic resistance has been acquired by certain bacterial strains. As a result, new antibacterial drugs are urgently required to combat resistant microorganisms. Species of Trichoderma are known to produce a wide range of enzymes and secondary metabolites that can be exploited for the synthesis of nanoparticles. In the present study, Trichoderma asperellum was isolated from rhizosphere soil and used for the biosynthesis of ZnO NPs. To examine the antibacterial activity of ZnO NPs against human pathogens, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were used. The obtained antibacterial results show that the biosynthesized ZnO NPs were efficient antibacterial agents against the pathogens E. coli and S. aureus, with an inhibition zone of 3-9 mm. The ZnO NPs were also effective in the prevention of S. aureus biofilm formation and adherence. The current work shows that the MIC dosages of ZnO NPs (25, 50, and 75 μg/mL) have effective antibacterial activity and antibiofilm action against S. aureus. As a result, ZnO NPs can be used as a part of combination therapy for drug-resistant S. aureus infections, where biofilm development is critical for disease progression.

Keywords: Trichoderma; ZnO nanoparticles; antimicrobial resistance; biofilm; green synthesis; myconanotechnology; nanofabrication.

Grants and funding

The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Khalid University for funding this work through the Small Groups Project under grant number (RGP. 1/343/43).