title: Biosynthesis of selenium nanoparticles using Enterococcus faecalis and evaluation of their antibacterial activities.
abstract: Microorganisms are capable of synthesizing metal nanoparticles, and specifically Enterococcus faecalis bacteria were tested for its ability to synthesize selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs) from sodium selenite. The biosynthesized Se-NPs were spherical in shape with the size range of 29-195nm. Also, the TEM microscopy showed the accumulation of nano-structures as extracellular deposits. The ability of the bacteria to tolerate high levels of toxic selenite was studied by changing with different concentrations of sodium selenite (0.19mM-2.97mM). Also, the effect of Se-NPs was studied on the growth profile of number of pathogenic Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. High concentrations of sodium selenite in the medium led to the production of small amounts of selenium nanostructures by bacteria. In addition, Se-NPs can be used as an anti-staphylococcal element to effectively prevent and treat S. aureus infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Electronic address: ShoeibiS901@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shoeibi
authors.affiliation: Nanotechnology Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mashreghi
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000378:metabolism*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000378:metabolism*; D010316:Particle Size; D012643:Selenium / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D012643:Selenium
keywords: Anti-staphylococcal; Concentrations; Enterococcus faecalis; Se-NPs; Sodium selenite