title: Antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes decorated with silver nanoparticles.
abstract: Recently, various nanoscale materials, including silver (Ag) nanoparticles, have been actively studied for their capacity to effectively prevent bacterial growth. A critical challenge is to enhance the antibacterial properties of nanomaterials while maintaining their biocompatibility. The conjugation of multiple nanomaterials with different dimensions, such as spherical nanoparticles and high-aspect-ratio nanotubes, may increase the target-specific antibacterial capacity of the consequent nanostructure while retaining an optimal biocompatibility. In this study, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were treated with a mixture of acids and decorated with Ag nanoparticles via a chemical reduction of Ag cations by ethanol solution. The synthesized Ag-MWCNT complexes were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The antibacterial function of Ag-MWCNTs was evaluated against Methylobacterium spp. and Sphingomonas spp. In addition, the biocompatibility of Ag-MWCNTs was evaluated using both mouse liver hepatocytes (AML 12) and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Finally, we determined the minimum amount of Ag-MWCNTs required for a biocompatible yet effective antibacterial treatment modality. We report that 30 μg/mL of Ag-MWCNTs confers antibacterial functionality while maintaining minimal cytotoxicity toward both human and animal cells. The results reported herein would be beneficial for researchers interested in the efficient preparation of hybrid nanostructures and in determining the minimum amount of Ag-MWCNTs necessary to effectively hinder the growth of bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bionano Technology, Graduate School, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Youngmin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.affiliation: Department of Bionano Technology, Graduate School, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jangsun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Bionano Technology, Graduate School, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jieun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Bionano Technology, Graduate School, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea ; Department of Bionano Engineering, Hanyang University ERICA, Ansan, Korea ; Center for Biomaterials, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomaterials, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Mintai P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Bionano Technology, Graduate School, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea ; Department of Bionano Engineering, Hanyang University ERICA, Ansan, Korea.
authors.forename: Jonghoon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D051379:Mice; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000187:drug effects*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D012834:Silver
keywords: antimicrobial; nanoconstructs; toxicity