Effectiveness of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles against bacterial biofilms: Perspectives and limitations.

In the last few years, there has been a necessary demand in the pharmaceutical industries for finding a treatment against biofilms formed by different bacterial species. We are aware of the fact that classical processes, which are already there for the removal of bacterial biofilms gives a very low efficiency and consequently antimicrobial resistance makes it even worse. To cope up with the cited problems, scientists from the past few years are inclining toward various types of nanoparticle based treatment procedures as a pharmaceutical agent against bacterial biofilms. Nanoparticles are known for their extremely efficient antimicrobial properties. The current review gives a description of different types of metal oxide nanoparticles and their antibiofilm properties. It also shows a comparative analysis of the nanoparticles and depicts the efficiency rates of biofilm degradation in each of them. It explains the mechanism of the nanoparticles through which the disintegration of bacterial biofilm is carried out. Lastly, the review throws light upon the limitations of different nanoparticles, their safety issues, the mutagenicity, genotoxicity concerns, and toxicity hazards caused by them.

Effect of Nanohexaconazole on Nitrogen Fixing Blue Green Algae and Bacteria.

Nanohexaconazole is a highly efficient fungicide against Rhizoctonia solani. Nanoparticles are alleged to adversely affect the non-target organisms. In order to evaluate such concern, the present study was carried out to investigate the effect of nanohexaconazole and its commercial formulation on sensitive nitrogen fixing blue green algae (BGA) and bacteria. Various activities of algae and bacteria namely growth, N-fixation, N-assimilation, Indole acetic acid (IAA) production and phosphate solubilization were differently affected in the presence of hexaconazole. Although, there was stimulatory to slightly inhibitory effect on the growth measurable parameters of the organisms studied at the recommended dose of nanohexaconazole, but its higher dose was inhibitory to all these microorganisms. On the other hand, the recommended as well as higher dose of commercial hexaconazole showed much severe inhibition of growth and metabolic activity of these organisms as compared to the nano preparation. The uses of nanohexazconazole instead of hexaconazole as a fungicide will not only help to control various fungal pathogens but also sustain the growth and activity of these beneficial microorganisms for sustaining soil fertility and productivity.

Development and Quality Control of Nanohexaconazole as an Effective Fungicide and Its Biosafety Studies on Soil Nitifiers.

The study was aimed to develop a nano form of an existing fungicide for improving plant protection and reducing crop losses caused by fungal pathogens. The protocol for the preparation and estimation of nanohexaconazole was developed. Technically pure hexaconazole was converted into its nanoform using polyethyleneglycol-400 (PEG) as the surface stabilizing agent. Nanohexaconazole was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) studies. The average particle size of nanohexaconazole was about 100 nm. An analytical method was also developed for quality control of the nanofungicide by GLC fitted with flame ionization detector. Its limit of detection was 2.5 ppm. Fungicidal potential of nanohexaconazole was better in comparison to that of conventional hexaconazole. Hydrolytic and thermal stability studies confirmed its stability at par with the conventional formulation of fungicide. Impact of nanohexaconazole on soil nitrifiers was tested in vitro and there were no significant adverse effect in their numbers observed as compared to conventional registered formulation, proving the safety of the nanofungicide.

Mechanical downsizing of a gadolinium(III)-based metal-organic framework for anticancer drug delivery.

A Gd(III) -based porous metal-organic framework (MOF), Gd-pDBI, has been synthesized using fluorescent linker pDBI (pDBI=(1,4-bis(5-carboxy-1H-benzimidazole-2-yl)benzene)), resulting in a three-dimensional interpenetrated structure with a one-dimensional open channel (1.9×1.2 nm) filled with hydrogen-bonded water assemblies. Gd-pDBI exhibits high thermal stability, porosity, excellent water stability, along with organic-solvent and mild acid and base stability with retention of crystallinity. Gd-pDBI was transformed to the nanoscale regime (ca. 140 nm) by mechanical grinding to yield MG-Gd-pDBI with excellent water dispersibility (>90 min), maintaining its porosity and crystallinity. In vitro and in vivo studies on MG-Gd-pDBI revealed its low blood toxicity and highest drug loading (12 wt %) of anticancer drug doxorubicin in MOFs reported to date with pH-responsive cancer-cell-specific drug release.

The distal-proximal relationships among the human moonlighting proteins: Evolutionary hotspots and Darwinian checkpoints.

Moonlighting proteins, known for their ability to perform multiple, often unrelated functions within a single polypeptide chain, challenge the traditional "one gene, one protein, one function" paradigm. As organisms evolved, their genomes remained relatively stable in size, but the introduction of post-translational modifications and sub-strategies like protein promiscuity and intrinsic disorder enabled multifunctionality. Enzymes, in particular, exemplify this phenomenon, engaging in unrelated processes alongside their primary catalytic roles. This study employs a systematic, quantitative informatics approach to shed light on human moonlighting protein sequences. Phylogenetic analyses of human moonlighting proteins are presented, elucidating the distal-proximal relationships among these proteins based on sequence-derived quantitative features. The findings unveil the captivating world of human moonlighting proteins, urging further investigations in the emerging field of moonlighting proteomics, with the potential for significant contributions to our understanding of multifunctional proteins and their roles in diverse cellular processes and diseases.

Photochemical modulation of biosafe manganese nanoparticles on Vigna radiata: a detailed molecular, biochemical, and biophysical study.

Manganese (Mn) is an essential element for plants which intervenes mainly in photosynthesis. In this study we establish that manganese nanoparticles (MnNP) work as a better micronutrient than commercially available manganese salt, MnSO4 (MS) at recommended doses on leguminous plant mung bean (Vigna radiata) under laboratory condition. At higher doses it does not impart toxicity to the plant unlike MS. MnNP-treated chloroplasts show greater photophosphorylation, oxygen evolution with respect to control and MS-treated chloroplasts as determined by biophysical and biochemical techniques. Water splitting by an oxygen evolving complex is enhanced by MnNP in isolated chloroplast as confirmed by polarographic and spectroscopic techniques. Enhanced activity of the CP43 protein of a photosystem II (PS II) Mn4Ca complex influenced better phosphorylation in the electron transport chain in the case of MnNP-treated chloroplast, which is evaluated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and corresponding Western blot analysis. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report to augment photosynthesis using MnNP and its detailed correlation with different molecular, biochemical and biophysical parameters of photosynthetic pathways. At effective dosage, MnNP is found to be biosafe both in plant and animal model systems. Therefore MnNP would be a novel potential nanomodulator of photochemistry in the agricultural sector.

Nanoparticle-induced morphological transition of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus: a novel method to treat silkworm grasserie disease.

Grasserie, a polyorganotrophic disease caused by Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV), accounts for lethal infection to fifth instar silkworm larvae. It was found that nanoparticle (NP)-induced morphological transformation of BmNPV polyhedra could reduce the infectivity of BmNPV both in cell line and in silkworm larvae. Initially, 11 NPs were screened for evaluation of their nature of interaction with polyhedra surface through scanning electron microscopy. Amongst these NPs, lipophilically coated silica nanoparticle (SNPL), alumina nanoparticles in the hexagonal close-packed α structure and aspartate capped gold nanoparticle transformed polyhedra were tested for their infectivity in B. mori cell line using cytopathic effect and plaque reduction assay. SNPL was evaluated for its bio-efficacy in fifth instar silkworm larvae. The study of polyhedra morphology as a function of NP concentration showed severe 'roughening' of the polyhedra with replacement of the regular facets by a large number of irregular ones by SNPL, and this caused transition of highly infectious polyhedra into a nearly spherical, non-infectious structure. A moderate polyhedra roughening was observed for alumina NPs, and no roughening was noticed for gold NPs. The morphological changes could be correlated with reduction of virus-induced cytopathic effect and plaque formation, and increased survival rate of SNPL transformed polyhedra infected silkworm larvae to 70.09±6.61% after 96 h. In this group, 61.04±8.03% larvae formed normal cocoons from which moths eclosed, laid eggs and larvae emerged. This study could lead to open up newer pathways for designing nano pharmaceuticals to combat other viral diseases.

Investigation of antimicrobial physiology of orthorhombic and monoclinic nanoallotropes of sulfur at the interface of transcriptome and metabolome.

Nanosized elemental sulfur (ES) is already reported to exert superior antimicrobial efficacy than micron-sized ES, which encourages their use in drugs and therapeutics. The aim of the present study is to explore the possible route and mode of antimicrobial action of orthorhombic (α-SNPs) and monoclinic (ß-SNPs) allotropes of sulfur, respectively, at their nano-dimensions. The antimicrobial efficacy of α- and ß-SNPs was determined against both the conventionally ES-resistant and ES-susceptible fungi and bacteria. Both the SNPs inhibited the microbial growth, irrespective of their resistance profile to ES and caused significant deformities on the microbial cell surfaces. However, the extent of antimicrobial efficacy was found to be optimum for α-SNPs, which can be attributed to their size, shape, and surface modification. Subsequent transcript profiling, metabolite profiling, and enzymatic analyses revealed that α- and ß-SNPs impaired a cluster of mitochondrial enzymes involved in cellular respiration and oxidative phosphorylation. ES and SNPs stress were found to elicit the NADPH-dependent glutathione reductase mediated ES-detoxification response in fungi and caused them to undertake the glyoxylate shunt in favor of energy conservation. A simultaneous study was also undertaken to assess the biocompatible or bio-adverse properties of SNPs in terms of their cytotoxic and genotoxic effects against the human derived lung fibroblast cell line (MRC-5). The present study hence explores the antimicrobial physiology of two novel functional materials and demonstrates their compatibility as a future putative antimicrobial drug.

Entomotoxicity and biosafety assessment of PEGylated acephate nanoparticles: a biologically safe alternative to neurotoxic pesticides.

This is a report of an experimental study on a nanoencapsulation of the organophosphate acephate. Acephate was encapsulated in polyethylene glycol, using a simple, easy-to-replicate method that required no special equipment or conditions. The nanoencapsulation (nanoacephate) was characterized and its bioefficacy as compared to the regular commercial acephate was tested. The biosafety of the new compound was also tested on a murine model. Our new nanoencapsulation scored over the regular variety on all counts. It was found to successfully incorporate the active pesticidal component, acephate and this compound retained greater functional integrity over time as a nanoencapsulation. It was significantly more efficacious than the regular variety. It was biosafe when tested on murine model. We have reason to believe that this nanoencapsulation would allow the use of an organophosphate in a more targeted manner, thereby making it a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to the regular variety in use now.

Antibiofilm activity of mesoporous silica nanoparticles against the biofilm associated infections.

In pharmaceutical industries, various chemical carriers are present which are used for drug delivery to the correct target sites. The most popular and upcoming drug delivery carriers are mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN). The main reason for its popularity is its ability to be specific and optimize the drug delivery process in a controlled manner. Nowadays, MSNs are widely used to eradicate various microbial infections, especially the ones related to biofilms. Biofilms are sessile groups of cells that live by forming a consortium and exhibit antibacterial resistance (AMR). They exhibit AMR by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and various quorum sensing (QS) signaling molecules. Usually, bacterial and fungal cells are capable of forming biofilms. These biofilms are pathogenic. In the majority of the cases, biofilms cause nosocomial diseases. This review will focus on the antibiofilm activities of MSN, its mechanism of target-specific drug delivery, and its ability to disrupt the bacterial biofilms inhibiting the infection. The review will also discuss various mechanisms for the delivery of pharmaceutical molecules by the MSNs to inhibit the bacterial biofilms, and lastly, we will talk about the different types of MSNs and their antibiofilm activities.

A brief study on the role of cerium oxide nanoparticles in growth and alleviation of mercury-induced stress in Vigna radiata and soil bacteria Bacillus coagulans.

Cerium oxide nanoparticles have so far been investigated for their role as an antioxidant in pathologies involving inflammation and high oxidative stress. However, its role as a plant and bacterial growth modulator and heavy metal stress reliever has been overlooked to date. Heavy metal contamination poses a major threat to mankind and the life-sustaining ecosystem. This study emphasizes the role of cerium oxide produced by the combustion method in promoting growth in Vigna radiata and Bacillus coagulans in the presence of mercury. The results show that cerium oxide nanoparticles significantly reduce the production of reactive oxygen species, hydrogen peroxide, and product of lipid peroxidation malondialdehyde in plants grown in the presence of 50 ppm mercury, thereby reducing oxidative stress. Nanoceria also increases plant growth with respect to those growing solely in mercury. Nanoceria alone does not significantly affect the growth of Vigna radiata as well as Bacillus coagulans and Escherichia coli, thereby proving its non-hazardous nature. It also significantly increases the growth of Bacillus coagulans at 25 ppm and 50 ppm of mercury. This study throws light upon the biologically non-hazardous nature of this particle by revealing how it promotes the growth of two soil bacteria Bacillus coagulans and E.coli at various dosages. The results of this study pave the way for the use of cerium oxide nanoparticles in plants and various other organisms to combat abiotic stress.

Role of mesoporous silica nanoparticles in combating mercury-induced stress in Vigna radiata (mung bean) and Bacillus coagulans (soil bacteria).

The last few decades have witnessed a dramatic progress of human civilization via industrialization, which, in turn, is associated with a surge in pollution of the environment. Heavy metals being one of the most hazardous pollutants have posed a serious threat to life sustaining ecosystem. Among the various remediation techniques, presently, the use of nanoparticles as adsorbents and chelator of heavy metal ions has emerged being practical and cost effective. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles, due to its unique structural attributes, have found application in adsorption of heavy metals in solutions. This study encompasses elucidation of the role of mesoporous silica nanoparticles MCM 41 and MCM 48 in mitigating stress caused by toxic dose of heavy metal Hg2+ (25 ppm) on growing seedlings of Vigna radiata and probiotic soil bacteria Bacillus coagulans. The results revealed that application of the nanoparticles at specific concentration can stimulate an increase in growth of plantlets, decrease in the yield reactive oxygen species like superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide, reduction of lipid peroxidation, increase in antioxidant enzyme activity in Vigna radiata, and enhancement of growth of Bacillus coagulans as compared to that of Hg2+ alone. Moreover, it was found that MCM 41 was effective at higher dosages compared to MCM 48, which indicates the structure to function relationship.

Definition of agronomic circular economy metrics and use for assessment for a nanofertilizer case study.

Circular economy has become global priority, and fertigation make large contribution. Modern circular methodologies base their definitions, besides on waste minimisation and recovery, on the product usage U and lifetime L. We have modified a commonly used equation for the mass circularity indicator (MCI) to permit MCI determination for agricultural cultivation. We defined U as intensity for diverse investigated parameters of plant growth and L as the bioavailability period. In this way, we compute circularity metrics for the plantgrowth performance when exposed to three nanofertilizers and one biostimulant, as compared to no-use of micronutrients (control 1), and micronutrients supplied via conventional fertilizers (control 2). We determined an MCI of 0.839 for best nanofertilizer performance (1.000 denotes full circularity), while the MCI of conventional fertilizer was 0.364. Normalised to control 1, U was determined as 1.196, 1.121 and 1.149 for manganese, copper and iron-based nanofertilizers, respectively, while U was 1.709, 1.432, 1.424 and 1.259 for manganese, copper, iron nanofertilizers and gold biostimulant when normalised to control 2, respectively. Based on the learning of the plant growth experiments, a tailored process design is proposed for the use of nanoparticles with pre-conditioning, post-processing and recycling steps. A life cycle assessment shows that the additional use of pumps for this process design does not increase energy costs, while preserving environmental advantages related to the lower water usage of the nanofertilizers. Moreover, the impact of the losses of conventional fertilisers by missing absorption of plant roots, which is presumed to be lower for the nanofertilizers.

Polyethylene glycol-stabilized sulphur nanoparticles: an effective antimicrobial agent against multidrug-resistant bacteria.

OBJECTIVES: To elucidate the antibacterial efficacy of chemically synthesized and custom-made sulphur nanoparticles (SNPs) of two different sizes and surface modifications against a number of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) harbouring the New Delhi metallo-ß-lactamase 1 enzyme (NDM-1). METHODS: Antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates was determined. The strains were evaluated for the presence of carbapenemases, ß-lactamases, 16S rRNA methylases and integrons. Chemically synthesized, polyethylene-glycol (PEG)-stabilized SNPs of 10 nm and custom-made non-capped SNPs of 60 nm were physicochemically characterized and evaluated for their antibacterial efficacy against multidrug-resistant GNB using the agar dilution method (ADM) and the broth microdilution method (BMD). The cytotoxicity of the chemically synthesized SNPs was evaluated with a human-derived hepatoma (HepG2) cell line using a WST-1 assay kit. RESULTS: All isolates were multidrug-resistant and possessed NDM-1 along with other ß-lactamases, 16S rRNA methylases and integron 1. Chemically synthesized PEGylated SNPs showed a bactericidal effect against all tested strains at a concentration between 9.41 and 18.82 mg/L using BMD. The ADM data revealed that SNPs had uniform MICs (18.82 mg/L) for all tested strains. On the other hand, custom-made SNPs failed to impart any antibacterial effect at the equivalent concentrations of chemically synthesized SNPs. The WST-1 assay revealed no significant cytotoxicity of the PEGylated SNPs even at the highest concentration (94.08 mg/L). CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempted study to show the effectiveness of nanoparticles against multidrug-resistant GNB harbouring NDM-1.

Biochemical-, biophysical-, and microarray-based antifungal evaluation of the buffer-mediated synthesized nano zinc oxide: an in vivo and in vitro toxicity study.

Here we describe a simple, novel method of zinc oxide nanoparticle (ZNP) synthesis and physicochemical characterization. The dose-dependent antifungal effect of ZNPs, compared to that of micronized zinc oxide (MZnO), was studied on two pathogenic fungi: Aspergillus niger and Fusarium oxysporum. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, ascorbate peroxidase activity, catalase activity, glutathione reductase (GR) activity, thiol content, lipid peroxidation, and proline content in ZNP-treated fungal samples were found to be elevated in comparison to the control, which strongly suggested that the antifungal effect of ZNPs was due to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Protein carbonylation, another marker of oxidative stress, was also evaluated by the dinitrophenyl hydrazine (DNPH) binding assay and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectral analysis followed by Western blot and microarray analysis of fungal samples to confirm ROS generation by ZNPs. Micrographic studies for the morphological analysis of fungal samples (ZNP-treated and a control) exhibited an alteration in fungal morphology. The bioavailability of ZNPs on fungal cell was confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis followed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and confocal microscopic analysis of the fungal samples. In vivo acute oral toxicity, acetylcholine esterase activity, and a fertility study using a mice model were also investigated for ZNPs. The long-term toxicity of ZNPs through intravenous injection was evaluated and compared to that of MZnO. The in vitro comparative toxicity of ZNPs and MZnO was evaluated on MRC-5 cells with the help of water-soluble tetrazolium (WST-1) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays. These results suggested that ZNPs could be used as an effective fungicide in modern medical and agricultural sciences.

Comparative analysis of stability and toxicity profile of three differently capped gold nanoparticles for biomedical usage.

Nowadays gold nanoparticle (GNP) is increasingly being used in drug delivery and diagnostics. Here we have reported a comparative analysis of detailed stability and toxicity (in vitro and in vivo) profile of three water soluble spherical GNPs, having nearly similar size, but the surfaces of which were modified with three different capping materials aspartic acid (GNPA), trisodium citrate dihydrate (GNPC) or bovine serum albumin (GNPB). Spectral analyses on the stability of these GNPs revealed that depending on the nature of capping agents, GNPs behave differently at different environmental modalities like wide range of pH, high salt concentrations, or in solutions and buffers of biological usage. GNPB was found to be extremely stable, where capped protein molecule successfully maintained its secondary structure and helicity on the nanoparticle, whereas colloidal stability of GNPA was most susceptible to altered conditions. In vitro cytotoxicity of these nanoparticle formulations in vitro were determined by water soluble tetrazolium and lactate dehydrogenase assay in human fibroblast cell line (MRC-5) and acute oral toxicity was performed in murine model system. All the GNPs were non-toxic to MRC-5 cells. GNPC had slight hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic responses. Hepatotoxicity was also evident for GNPA treatment. Present study established that there is a correlation between capping material and stability together with toxicity of nanoparticles. GNPB was found to be most biocompatible among the three GNPs tested.

Inhibitory effects of sulfur nanoparticles on membrane lipids of Aspergillus niger: a novel route of fungistasis.

Orthorhombic (spherical; ~10 nm) and monoclinic (cylindrical; ~50 nm) sulfur nanoparticles (SNPs) were synthesized and examined for their effects on the total lipid content and desaturase enzymes of Aspergillus niger. Synthesized SNPs were characterized for size with transmission electron microscopy, elemental composition with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and allotropic nature with X-ray diffraction pattern. Both the SNPs considerably reduced total lipid content of the treated fungal isolates with significant down regulation of the expression of various desaturase enzymes (linoleoyl-CoA desaturase, stearoyl-CoA 9-desaturase and phosphatidylcholine desaturase). Unusual high accumulation of saturated fatty acids with depleted lipid layer can be inferred as one of the major reasons of SNPs mediated fungistasis.

Possible functional proximity of various organisms based on the bioinformatics analysis of their taste receptors.

Taste is one of the essential senses in providing the organism a faithful representation of the external world. Taste perception is responsible for basic food and drink appraisal and bestows the organism with valuable discriminatory power. Umami and sweet are "good" tastes that promote consumption of nutritive food, whereas bitter and sour are "bad" tastes that alert the organism to toxins and low pH, promoting rejection of foods containing harmful substances. Not every animal has the same sense of taste as humans. Variation in the taste receptor genes contributes to inter and intra organism differences of taste (sweet/bitter) sensation and preferences. Therefore a deeper understanding was needed to comprehend taste perception by various vertebrates and accordingly elucidate a possible proximity among them. In this study, a total 20 Type-1 (sweet) and 189 Type-2 (bitter) taste receptor complete-amino acid sequences were taken from the 20 vertebrate organisms (18 mammalian, 1 Aves, and 1 amphibian). Among 10 primates, 8 including humans were very close based on genomics of taste receptors and rodent organisms viz. the rat and mouse were away from them. This investigation throws light on the similitude and dissimilitude of perception of sweet and bitter taste among 20 different organisms, steered by quantitative analysis of their genomic data. Furthermore, it enlightened that ligand binding affinity of sweet/bitter taste molecules in the taste receptors of any proximal pair of organisms would be similar.

A comparative study on the modulatory role of mesoporous silica nanoparticles MCM 41 and MCM 48 on growth and metabolism of dicot Vigna radiata.

With the advent of nanoscience, nanotechnology and their applications in various fields, mesoporous silica nanoparticles have gained popularity due to their stability, biocompatibility, unique honeycomb-like structures - ordered and random by nature, large surface to volume ratio, porosity, active surfaces, high loading capacity, ease of interactions with solvent, solute and suspended particles. These multitudes of intrinsic properties have motivated us towards an interdisciplinary detailed study on applications of mesoporous silica with an intention in increasing efficacy of productivity, growth if any, in plant life. This study aims at finding modus operandi of the structural uniqueness and eccentricity of various types of mesoporous silica in maneuvering their own functionality as a potential regulator for growth of seedlings of model plant Vigna radiata. We undertook characterization of surface, morphology, epitome of porosity for MCM 41 and MCM 48 using various experimental techniques followed by application of the same to growing seedlings at various dosages. It turned out that mesoporous silica nanoparticles, inarguably have higher efficacy in promoting plant growth, reducing stress, and enhancing basic metabolic rates at optimum dosage. Optimal operation point was determined at effective dosages for MCM 41 and MCM 48 those are being much lower than that of conventional silica nanoparticles. This optimum dosage is attributed to the structures of the nanoparticles used and implied further that higher pore volume, higher surface to volume ratio in case of MCM 41 at higher dosage lead to better adsorption of ions and functionality in contrast to that of MCM 48.

Surface-modified sulfur nanoparticles: an effective antifungal agent against Aspergillus niger and Fusarium oxysporum.

Surface-modified sulfur nanoparticles (SNPs) of two different sizes were prepared via a modified liquid-phase precipitation method, using sodium polysulfide and ammonium polysulfide as starting material and polyethylene glycol-400 (PEG-400) as the surface stabilizing agent. Surface topology, size distribution, surface modification of SNPs with PEG-400, quantitative analysis for the presence of sulfur in nanoformulations, and thermal stability of SNPs were determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) plus high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. A simultaneous study with micron-sized sulfur (S(0)) and SNPs was carried out to evaluate their fungicidal efficacy against Aspergillus niger and Fusarium oxysporum in terms of radial growth, sporulation, ultrastructural modifications, and phospholipid content of the fungal strains using a modified poisoned food technique, spore-germination slide bioassay, environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), and spectrometry. SNPs expressed promising inhibitory effect on fungal growth and sporulation and also significantly reduced phospholipid content.