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Synergistic antibacterial effects of β-lactam antibiotic combined with silver nanoparticles

Ping Li1,2, Juan Li2, Changzhu Wu1, Qingsheng Wu1,3 and Jian Li2

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The bactericidal action of silver (0) nanoparticles and amoxicillin on Escherichia coli is studied, respectively. Increasing concentration of both amoxicillin (0–0.525 mg ml−1) and silver nanoparticles (0–40 µg ml−1) showed a higher antibacterial effect in Luria–Bertani (LB) medium. Escherichia coli cells have different bactericidal sensitivity to them. When amoxicillin and silver nanoparticles are combined, it results in greater bactericidal efficiency on Escherichia coli cells than when they were applied separately. Dynamic tests on bacterial growth indicated that exponential and stationary phases are greatly decreased and delayed in the synergistic effect of amoxicillin and silver nanoparticles. In addition, the effect induced by a preincubation with silver nanoparticles is examined. The results show that solutions with more silver nanoparticles have better antimicrobial effects. One hypothesized mechanism is proposed to explain this phenomenon.


PACS

87.85.Qr Nanotechnologies-design

02.70.Rr General statistical methods

87.64.Ee Electron microscopy

87.17.Ee Growth and division

61.46.Df Structure of nanocrystals and nanoparticles ("colloidal" quantum dots but not gate-isolated embedded quantum dots)

Subjects

Computational physics

Medical physics

Biological physics

Nanoscale science and low-D systems

Dates

Issue 9 (September 2005)

Received 12 January 2005, in final form 20 June 2005

Published 28 July 2005



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