Metal and metal oxide nanoparticles in photoinactivation of pathogens

Abstract

Bacterial infections pose serious health problem that has drawn public attention worldwide. Increased outbreak and infections of pathogenic strains, bacterial antibiotic resistance, emergence of new bacterial mutations, lack of suitable vaccine and nosocomial infections are global health hazard to human. Over the last few years, the increased attention of the researchers was directed to questions related to the biomedical use of different nanoparticles. Nanotechnology is a research hot spot in modern materials science. This technology can provide new applications that range from innovative fabric compounds, food processing and agricultural production to medicinal techniques. This chapter summarizes the experimental results of the effect of metal (like silver, gold) and metal oxide nanoparticles (like zinc oxide or titanic oxide) and quantum dots on the microorganisms under light exposure. The following sections discuss the properties of gold nanoparticles in photothermal killing of various pathogens, the ability of the conjugates of magnetic and plasmon-resonance nanoparticles with dyes, porphyrins and phthalocyanines to kill microorganisms as well as photocatalytic properties of ZnO and TiO2 in inactivation of microorganisms.