RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Free-living amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba are cosmopolitan, widely distributed protozoans that cause a severe, vision-threatening corneal infection known as Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK). The majority of the increasing number of AK cases are associated with contact lens use. Appropriate eye hygiene and effective contact lens disinfection are crucial in the prevention of AK because of the lack of effective therapies against it. Currently available multipurpose contact lens disinfection systems are not fully effective against Acanthamoeba trophozoites and cysts. There is an urgent need to increase the disinfecting activity of these systems to prevent AK infections. Synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) have been recently studied and proposed as a new generation of anti-microbial agents. It is also known that some plant metabolites, including tannins, have anti-parasitic activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-amoebic activity and cytotoxicity of tannic acid-modified silver NPs (AgTANPs) conjugated with selected multipurpose contact lens solutions. METHODS: The anti-amoebic activities of pure contact lens care solutions, and NPs conjugated with contact lens care solutions, were examined in vitro by a colorimetric assay based on the oxido-reduction of alamarBlue. The cytotoxicity assays were performed using a fibroblast HS-5 (ATCC CRL-11882) cell line. The results were statistically analysed by ANOVA and Student-Newman-Keuls test using P < 0.05 as the level of statistical significance. RESULTS: We show that the NPs enhance the anti-Acanthamoeba activities of the tested contact lens solutions without increasing their cytotoxicity profiles. The activities are enhanced within the minimal disinfection time recommended by the manufacturers. CONCLUSIONS: The conjugation of the selected contact lens solutions with AgTANPs might be a novel and promising approach for the prevention of AK infections among contact lens users.