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© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are one of the most widely used nanoparticulate materials due to their antimicrobial properties. However, the current use of ZnO NPs is hindered by their potential cytotoxicity concerns, which are likely attributed to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the dissolution of particles to ionic zinc. To reduce the cytotoxicity of ZnO NPs, transitional metals are introduced into ZnO lattices to modulate the ROS production and NP dissolution. However, the influence of the doping element, doping concentration, and particle size on the cytotoxicity and antimicrobial properties remains unexplored. This study presents a comprehensive investigation of a library of doped ZnO NPs to elucidate the relationship between their physicochemical properties, antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli), and cytotoxicity to mammalian cells. The library comprises 30 variants, incorporating three different dopant metals—iron, manganese, and cobalt—at concentrations of 0.25%, 1%, and 2%, and calcined at three temperatures (350 °C, 500 °C, and 600 °C), resulting in varied particle sizes. These ZnO NPs were prepared by low temperature co-precipitation followed by high-temperature calcination. Our results reveal that the choice of dopant elements significantly influences both antimicrobial efficacy and cytotoxicity, while dopant concentration and particle size have comparatively minor effects. High-throughput UV–visible spectroscopic analysis identified Mn- and Co-doped ZnO NPs as highly effective against E. coli under standard conditions. Compared with undoped ZnO particles, Mn- and Co-doping significantly increased the oxidative stress, and the Zn ion release from NPs was increased by Mn doping and reduced by Fe doping. The combined effects of these factors increased the cytotoxicity of Mn-doped ZnO particles. As a result, Co-doped ZnO particles, especially those with 2 wt.% doping, exhibited the most favourable balance between enhanced antibacterial activity and minimized cytotoxicity, making them promising candidates for antimicrobial applications.

Details

Title
Cytotoxicity and Antimicrobial Efficacy of Fe-, Co-, and Mn-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles
Author
Yin, Hong 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Lu, Yang 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Chen, Rui 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Orrell-Trigg, Rebecca 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Gangadoo, Sheeana 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Chapman, James 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Cole, Ivan 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Vi Khanh Truong 6   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; [email protected] 
 Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Ministry of Education of China, College of Food Engineering & Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China 
 Beijing Key Laboratory of Occupational Safety and Health, Institute of Urban Safety and Environmental Science, Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, Beijing 100054, China; [email protected] 
 School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; [email protected] (R.O.-T.); 
 School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia; [email protected] 
 College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia 
First page
5966
Publication year
2024
Publication date
2024
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
14203049
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3149706599
Copyright
© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.