Antimicrobial Behavior of Biosynthesized Silica-Silver Nanocomposite for Water Disinfection: A Mechanistic Perspective

The biosynthesis of nano-silica silver nanocomposite (NSAgNC) and it’s as antibacterial effect on gram-negative bacteria viz. Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been investigated for disinfection of water. The as-synthesized NSAgNC exhibited antibacterial activity in a dose dependent manner and ~99.9% of E. coli and P. aeruginosa were killed at a concentration of 1.5 mg/mL of NSAgNC (5.1 wt% Ag) within 5 h. The NSAgNC showed similar antibacterial activities both in oxic and anoxic conditions. The results further demonstrated that NSAgNC exhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS) independent “particle specific” antibacterial activity through multiple steps in absence of leached out Ag+ ions. The initial binding of NSAgNC on the cell wall caused loss of cell membrane integrity and leakage of cytoplasmic materials. Inhibition of respiratory chain dehydrogenase by NSAgNC caused metabolic inactivation of the cells and affecting the cell viability. Genomic and proteomic studies further demonstrated the fragmentations of both plasmid and genomic DNA and down regulation of protein expression in NSAgNC treated cells, which leading to the cell death. Thus the biosynthesized NSAgNC has great potential as disinfectant for water purification while minimizing the toxic effects