Tailoring the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of iron nanoparticles with amino benzoic acid

Abstract

Antibacterial resistance is a massive universal health crisis and one of the most significant threats to human life. Many bacterial species have evolved and acquired resistance against multiple drugs. Antibacterial resistance is a massive universal health crisis and one of the most significant threats to human life. Many bacterial species have evolved and obtained resistance against multiple drugs. As a result, alternative antibacterial agents are essentially required to fight infections caused by resistant pathogenic bacteria. To study the antibacterial activity of iron nanoparticles against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , the nanoparticles were synthesized via the microwave induced precipitation method using an aqueous solution of ferric and ferrous ions (1 : 1.5) M with sodium hydroxide (3 M). The antibacterial activity of iron nanoparticles was compared with that of copper, zinc, and chromium nanoparticles synthesized via the same approach. UV-Visible spectra show the λ max of iron nanoparticles at 287 nm. EDX spectra confirmed the absence of impurities; SEM images showed smooth morphology, while XRD diffractions revealed the crystallinity of the particles. The resultant iron nanoparticles were functionalized with p -amino benzoic acid (PABA) and anthranilic acid (AA) to enhance their antibacterial activity. Furthermore, bacteria were grown in the presence of non-functionalized and functionalized iron nanoparticles. The inhibition zones in the disc diffusion assay revealed that all the nanoparticles and alum inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus , notably compared to the control samples. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity of functionalized nanoparticles was compared to that of non-functionalized nanoparticles. The result showed that anthranilic acid-functionalized iron nanoparticles (AA@Fe) are more effective against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus than non-functionalized nanoparticles and para -aminobenzoic acid-functionalized iron nanoparticles (PABA@Fe). In contrast to the antibacterial activity, PABA@Fe has a good antioxidant activity compared to AA@Fe.