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Augmented antibacterial activity of ampicillin with silver nanoparticles against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Citation:
Surwade, P., C. Ghildyal, C. Weikel, T. Luxton, D. Peloquin, F. Xin, AND V. Shah. Augmented antibacterial activity of ampicillin with silver nanoparticles against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The Journal of Antibiotics. Springer Nature, New York, NY, 72(2):50-53, (2019).
Impact/Purpose:
The Unites States Environmental Protection Agencies Office of Research and Development has extensive experience with research and issues related to the environmental health and safety of engineered nanomaterials. Our expertise in the area has resulted in unique collaborations with scientists outside of the environmental science community. An example of these unique collaborations is a partnership between ORD and a microbiologist at the University of West Chester, in Pennsylvania, studying the impacts of including engineered nanomaterials in antibiotics to improve effectiveness. The purpose of the current research was to determine if the addition in engineered silver nanoparticles to the antibiotic Ampicillin would improve antibacterial activity against a microorganism exhibiting resistance to common antibiotics. Results from the current research show how engineered Ag nanoparticles work synergistically with ampicillin as an antibacterial combination to fight bacteria.
Description:
At present, including failed attempts, it takes about 15 years and costs totaling up to $2.6 billion to take a promising new compound from laboratory to the market. Increasing drug resistance among microbial pathogens has led to a growing interest in exploring novel methods to enhance the efficacy of existing drugs. Combination therapies involving two or more known antimicrobial methods, particularly those involving nanoparticles for combating the clinical problems associated with antibiotic resistance, have been garnering interest. In the current study, we determined whether a combination therapy involving silver nanoparticles, which are known for their antimicrobial activity, and the widely used antibiotic ampicillin can be effective against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In the presence of sub-lethal dose of silver nanoparticles, ampicillin was found to be effective against MRSA. Indeed, the results show that silver nanoparticles and ampicillin act synergistically, with the effect being more pronounced when a lower concentration of ampicillin is present. When present at a higher concentration, ampicillin coats the silver nanoparticle, preventing the direct interaction of nanoparticles and bacteria. This study discusses the possible applications of combination antimicrobial therapies involving silver nanoparticles for therapeutic treatments.
URLs/Downloads:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41429-018-0111-6
Free access through PubMed Central