Synthesis of novel metal silica nanoparticles exhibiting antimicrobial potential and applications to combat periodontitis.

Periodontitis is a severe form of gum disease caused by bacterial plaque that affects millions of people and has substantial worldwide health and economic implications. However, current clinical antiseptic and antimicrobial drug therapies are insufficient because they frequently have numerous side effects and contribute to widespread bacterial resistance. Recently, nanotechnology has shown promise in the synthesis of novel periodontal therapeutic materials. Nanoparticles are quickly replacing antibiotics in the treatment of bacterial infections, and their potential application in dentistry is immense. The alarming increases in antimicrobial resistance further emphasize the importance of exploring and utilizing nanotechnology in the fight against tooth diseases particularly periodontitis. We developed 16 different combinations of mesoporous silica nanomaterials in this study by ageing, drying, and calcining them with 11 different metals including silver, zinc, copper, gold, palladium, ruthenium, platinum, nickel, cerium, aluminium, and zirconium. The antibacterial properties of metal-doped silica were evaluated using four distinct susceptibility tests. The agar well diffusion antibacterial activity test, which measured the susceptibility of the microbes being tested, as well as the antibacterial efficacy of mesoporous silica with different silica/metal ratios, were among these studies. The growth kinetics experiment was used to investigate the efficacy of various metal-doped silica nanoparticles on microbial growth. To detect growth inhibitory effects, the colony-forming unit assay was used. Finally, MIC and MBC tests were performed to observe the inhibition of microbial biofilm formation. Our findings show that silver- and zinc-doped silica nanoparticles synthesized using the sol-gel method can be effective antimicrobial agents against periodontitis-causing microbes. This study represents the pioneering work reporting the antimicrobial properties of metal-loaded TUD-1 mesoporous silica, which could be useful in the fight against other infectious diseases too.

Rapid wet chemical synthesis of bioactive glass with high yield by probe sonication.

Bioactive glasses (BGs) are inorganic biomaterials which possess favourable properties for bone repair and regeneration. The biological properties of the BGs depend on their physical features. This manuscript describes a simple methodology for rapid synthesis of BG nanoparticles (NPs) with tailored physical properties using ultrasonic disruption produced by an ultrasonic probe. The ultrasonic probe generates stable and transient cavitation which increases the mass transfer and accelerates the chemical reaction. This approach is relatively green as it evades the use of the drastic acidic conditions required for hydrolysis. The prepared BG NPs were characterized by Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), particle size analysis (PSA), nitrogen adsorption/desorption and BET surface area analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and in situ high temperature synchrotron XRD. The effects of ultrasonic irradiation time, and amplitude on the surface properties were investigated and the results confirmed that both parameters, especially amplitude, have significant effects on the physical properties of the prepared BG NPs. The XPS results showed that both, amplitude and time have a pronounced effect on the bridging and non-bridging oxygen atoms bonded to the Si centre in the BG samples, which play an important role in the bioactivity of the BG NPs. The in situ high temperature XRD patterns indicated a gradual phase transformation for the BG samples synthesized at different ultrasonic irradiation times and amplitudes. The TEM images showed that uniform nano-sized BG particles were obtained at 50% amplitude in only 10 minutes. A bimodal particle size distribution was observed with an increasing reaction time, up to 30 minutes, due to an increase in the formation of vortices at the interface where nucleation starts. All the prepared samples exhibited a glassy structure with the composition 70SiO2 : 25CaO : 5P2O5 and were highly bioactive. The proposed method would give a quick route for the synthesis of bioactive glasses and other ceramics with controlled physical properties.

Assessment of Antimicrobial Features of Selenium Nanoparticles (SeNPs) Using Cyclic Voltammetric Strategy.

The emerging biomedical applications of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) require facile and efficient strategy to assess its interactions with cell membrane. In this study, an efficient and reproducible microwave assisted method was used to synthesize SeNPs with controllable size distributions. The physical properties of the emergent structures, such as morphology, structure, and size were studied. The antimicrobial applications of SeNPs were assessed by electrochemical analyses that entailed the systematic acquisition of cyclic voltammetry data. Our results demonstrate a straightforward method to predict the integrity of bacterial cell membranes following the administration of SeNP treatments.