Noble metal-based nanomaterials as antibacterial agents

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds 2022-05, Vol.904, p.164091, Article 164091
• Main Authors: Ye, Lei, Cao, Zhongming, Liu, Xiangmei, Cui, Zhenduo, Li, Zhaoyang, Liang, Yanqin, Zhu, Shengli, Wu, Shuilin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antibacterial; Antibiotics; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Bacteria; Bacterial infections; Biofilms; Biomedical materials; Cell membranes; Gold; Hyperthermia; Infections; Macromolecules; Nanocomposites; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; Noble metal nanoparticles; Noble metals; Photo-responsive; Silver; Synthetic methods
• ISSN: 0925-8388; 1873-4669
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2022.164091

Clinically, multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria caused by the abuse of antibiotics and the formation of biofilms are the two major obstacles to the treatment of bacterial infections. The utilization of noble metal materials has wide prospects to therapy pathogenic bacterial infections as the substitutes of antibiotics. Noble metal nanoparticles (NMNPs), especially gold (Au), silver (Ag), and platinum (Pt), have been attaching great attentions in antimicrobial field, owing to their multiple bactericidal properties, simple synthesis methods, good photo-responsive performance, etc. NMNPs can kill bacteria and eradicate biofilms by disrupting cell membrane potential and stability, binding to biological macromolecules (DNA or enzymes). Additionally, some NMNPs can produce hyperthermia locally or radical oxygen species (ROS). The underlying mechanism is that these NMNPs can be excited under light with different wavelength to exhibit photothermal and photocatalytic effect, aroused by the surface plasmon resonance of activated electrons. In this review, NMNPs and their functionalized nanocomposites for combating pathogenic bacterial infections are reviewed. Herein, the synthetic methods and antibacterial mechanisms of noble metal nanomaterials are discussed. Finally, it’s important to balance antibacterial efficiency and metallic poisoning, specifically for safety assessment in biomedical application. [Display omitted] •The synthetic methods of noble metal-based nanomaterials are reviewed.•The antibacterial mechanism of noble metal-based nanomaterials is analyzed.•The methods for noble metal-based nanomaterials to enhance the antibacterial ability are summarized.•It provides insights into the production of high-performance and low-toxic noble metal-based nanomaterials.