title: Antibacterial activity and mechanism of Ag/ZnO nanocomposite against anaerobic oral pathogen Streptococcus mutans.
abstract: Dental caries is a widespread disease mainly caused by the anaerobic oral pathogen Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans). Ag/ZnO nanocomposite is an efficient antibacterial agent because of its high antibacterial activity and low cytotoxicity. In this study, rod-like Ag/ZnO nanocomposite was synthesized through a deposition-precipitation method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The activity of Ag/ZnO nanocomposite against S. mutans was evaluated by determining the minimal inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration and growth inhibition curve. The results showed that Ag/ZnO nanocomposite displayed higher activity against S. mutans compared with pure ZnO nanorods. Moreover, the antibacterial mechanism was investigated by determining the bacterial membrane potential, release of K+, intracellular reactive oxygen generation and lipid peroxidation. Disruption of membrane function and oxidation of biomacromolecules played important role in the antibacterial action of Ag/ZnO nanocomposite. This work proposes a potentially effective dental antibacterial agent against the dental caries-causing S. mutans.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Xiongchu Avenue, Wuhan, 430073, PR China.
authors.forename: Shilei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Xiongchu Avenue, Wuhan, 430073, PR China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Xiongchu Avenue, Wuhan, 430073, PR China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Xiongchu Avenue, Wuhan, 430073, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiangyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Xiongchu Avenue, Wuhan, 430073, PR China.
authors.forename: Qiaomu
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Xiongchu Avenue, Wuhan, 430073, PR China. zhonglu@wit.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000382:microbiology; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry*; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry; D011188:Potassium / Q000737:chemistry; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000187:drug effects*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D012834:Silver; D011188:Potassium; D015034:Zinc Oxide