title: Concentration ranges of antibacterial cations for showing the highest antibacterial efficacy but the least cytotoxicity against mammalian cells: implications for a new antibacterial mechanism.
abstract: Antibacterial metal ions, such as Ag(+), Zn(2+) and Cu(2+), have been extensively used in medical implants and devices due to their strong broad spectrum of antibacterial activity. However, it is still a controversial issue as to whether they can show the desired antibacterial activity while being toxic to mammalian cells. It is very important to balance their antibacterial effectiveness with minimal damage to mammalian cells. Toward this end, this study is to identify the suitable concentrations of these three ions at which they can effectively kill two types of clinically relevant bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli)) but show no obvious cytotoxicity on fibroblasts. Such concentration ranges are found to be 2.5 × 10(-7) M-10(-6) M, 10(-5) M-10(-4) M, and 10(-5) M-10(-4) M for Ag(+), Zn(2+), and Cu(2+), respectively. Investigation of their antibacterial mechanism shows that these three metal ions all show antibacterial property through a mechanism of damaging bacterial cell membranes by the generation of reactive oxygen species but surprisingly preserving the integrity of bacterial genomic DNA. The encouraging results indicate that antibacterial metal ions with controlled concentrations can bring considerable benefits to biomedical applications.
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology , Guangzhou 510641, China.
authors.forename: Chengyun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ning
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology , Guangzhou 510641, China.
authors.forename: Xiaolan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Guangdong Key Lab of Orthopaedic Technology and Implant, Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command , 111 Liuhua Road, Guangzhou 510010, China.
authors.forename: Lihua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, University of Oklahoma , 101 Stephenson Parkway, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States.
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Guangdong Key Lab of Orthopaedic Technology and Implant, Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command , 111 Liuhua Road, Guangzhou 510010, China.
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology , Guangzhou 510641, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology , Guangzhou 510641, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology , Guangzhou 510641, China.
authors.forename: Zhengnan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology , Guangzhou 510641, China.
authors.forename: Junqi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology , Guangzhou 510006, China.
authors.forename: Guoxin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Guangdong Key Lab of Orthopaedic Technology and Implant, Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command , 111 Liuhua Road, Guangzhou 510010, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology , Guangzhou 510641, China.
authors.forename: Yingjun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, University of Oklahoma , 101 Stephenson Parkway, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States.|School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310027, China.
authors.forename: Chuanbin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mao
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002412:Cations; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects; D008670:Metals / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002412:Cations; D008670:Metals