Project description:The current study deals to decipher the antibacterial mechanism of lysozyme coated silver nanoparticles (L-Ag NPs) (coated with lysozyme) against a Gram negative modal organism Escherichia coli K12 (MTCC 1302). Hence, the whole transcriptome profiling of E. coli K12 was done by exposing it to the MIC75 concentration of L-Ag NPs for 5 and 30 min., by RNA sequencing (RNAseq) analysis. The obtained results were utilized to understand all the metabolic pathways, signaling and molecular functions in bacterial cells under the stress of L-Ag NPs. RNAseq showed a high number of total reads along with significant ratio of high-quality reads, which confirmed the excellent quality and quantity of the obtained RNAseq data. Controlled release of ions from the surface of L-Ag NPs allowed the bacterial cells to function normally till the accumulation of threshold amount of silver ions which triggered the action of defence system, thus, reducing the chances of resistance development in bacteria. In long term, such treatment may force the bacterial machinery to induce changes in their genome to counteract the situation and develop resistance against silver ions, similar to the well-known antibiotic resistance problem. The obtained results advocate that L-Ag NPs can be used as effective antibacterial agent.
Project description:Infections associated with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria now represent a significant threat to human health using conventional therapy, necessitating the development of alternate and more effective antibacterial compounds. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) have been proposed as potential antimicrobial agents to combat infections. A complete understanding of their antimicrobial activity is required before these molecules can be used in therapy. Lysozyme coated Ag NPs were synthesized and characterized by TEMEDS, XRD, UV-vis, FTIR spectroscopy, zeta potential, and oxidative potential assay. Biochemical assays and deep level transcriptional analysis using RNA sequencing were used to decipher how Ag NPs exert their antibacterial action against multi-drug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae MGH78578. RNAseq data revealed that Ag NPs induced a triclosan-like bactericidal mechanism responsible for the inhibition of the type II fatty acid biosynthesis. Additionally, released AgC generated oxidative stress both extra and intracellularly in K. pneumoniae. The data showed that triclosan-like activity and oxidative stress cumulatively underpinned the antibacterial activity of Ag NPs. This result was confirmed by the analysis of the bactericidal effect of Ag NPs against the isogenic K. pneumoniae MGH78578 1soxS mutant, which exhibits a compromised oxidative stress response compared to the wild type. Silver nanoparticles induce a triclosan like antibacterial action mechanism in multi-drug resistant K. pneumoniae. This study extends our understanding of anti-Klebsiella mechanisms associated with exposure to Ag NPs. This allowed us to model how bacteria might develop resistance against silver nanoparticles, should the latter be used in therapy.