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. 2022 May 17;12(1):8148.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-12134-3.

ZnO size and shape effect on antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity profile

Nataliya Babayevska  1 , Łucja Przysiecka  2 , Igor Iatsunskyi  2 , Grzegorz Nowaczyk  2 , Marcin Jarek  2 , Ewa Janiszewska  3 , Stefan Jurga  2
Affiliations

ZnO size and shape effect on antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity profile

Nataliya Babayevska et al. Sci Rep. .

Erratum in

Abstract

The aim of our work was the synthesis of ZnO nano- and microparticles and to study the effect of shapes and sizes on cytotoxicity towards normal and cancer cells and antibacterial activity toward two kinds of bacteria. We fabricated ZnO nano- and microparticles through facile chemical and physical routes. The crystal structure, morphology, textural properties, and photoluminescent properties were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, electron microscopies, nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurements, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The obtained ZnO structures were highly crystalline and monodispersed with intensive green emission. ZnO NPs and NRs showed the strongest antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus compared to microparticles due to their high specific surface area. However, the ZnO HSs at higher concentrations also strongly inhibited bacterial growth. S. aureus strain was more sensitive to ZnO particles than the E. coli. ZnO NPs and NRs were more harmful to cancer cell lines than to normal ones at the same concentration.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
TEM and SEM images of ZnO nano- and microparticles: nanoparticles (a), nanorods (b), particles (c), hierarchical structures (d), tetrapods (e).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Typical XRD pattern of ZnO nano- and microparticles.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Nitrogen physisorption isotherms and pore size distribution for indicated samples.
Figure 4
Figure 4
PL spectra of ZnO nano- and microparticles.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Antimicrobial activity of ZnO nano- and microparticles against E. coli (a), Asterisks denotes the statistical significant difference compared with controls *p ≤ 0.001, **p ≤ 0.0001; and S. aureus (b), Asterisks denotes the statistical significant difference compared with controls *p ≤ 0.05, **p ≤ 0.01, ***p ≤ 0.001, ****p ≤ 0.0001, evaluated by measuring optical density at 570 nm (OD570 nm) after incubation at 37 °C, 220 rpm for 24 h. Data presented as mean ± SD of three independent experiments, each performed in triplicates.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Quantitative evaluation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in E. coli (a) and S. aureus (b) bacterial cells using DCFH-DA assay. Results presented as a DCF fluorescence intensity of ROS generation after cells incubation with 100 ug/ml ZnO solutions, compared to non-treated and H2O2 controls. Asterisks denotes the statistical significant difference compared with controls **p ≤ 0.01, ***p ≤ 0.001, ****p ≤ 0.0001.
Figure 7
Figure 7
WST-1 assay performed on normal human fibroblasts MSU1.1 (a) and cervical cancer HeLa cells (b) after 24 h of incubation with indicated ZnO materials, asterisks denotes the statistical significant difference compared with controls ***p ≤ 0.001, ****p ≤ 0.0001.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Released zinc ions in DMEM and LB at 24 h.
Figure 9
Figure 9
BAC Live/dead assay. (a) The CLSM images of E. coli bacteria (AATC: 35,218 E. coli strain) after 2 h incubation with ZnO nano- and microparticles on distinct morphology at concentration 500 μg/mL. Scale bar: 20 μm. (b) Relative percentage of live and dead cells in sample exposed to ZnO solutions and non-treated control as quantified from five randlomly selected microscopic images.
Figure 10
Figure 10
BAC Live/dead assay. (a) The CLSM images of S. aureus bacteria (AATC: 29,213 S. aureus strain) after 2 h incubation with ZnO nano- and microparticles on distinct morphology at concentration 500 μg/mL. Scale bar: 10 μm. (b) relative percentage of live and dead cells in sample exposed to ZnO solutions and non-treated control as quantified from five randomly selected microscopic images.
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