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Review
. 2024 Aug 28;13(9):819.
doi: 10.3390/antibiotics13090819.

Characteristics of Metallic Nanoparticles (Especially Silver Nanoparticles) as Anti-Biofilm Agents

Hongze Li  1 , Zhihe Yang  1   2 , Sadaf Aiman Khan  2   3   4 , Laurence J Walsh  2 , Chaminda Jayampath Seneviratne  2 , Zyta M Ziora  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Characteristics of Metallic Nanoparticles (Especially Silver Nanoparticles) as Anti-Biofilm Agents

Hongze Li et al. Antibiotics (Basel). .

Abstract

Biofilm-associated infections account for a large proportion of chronic diseases and pose a major health challenge. Metal nanoparticles offer a new way to address this problem, by impairing microbial growth and biofilm formation and by causing degradation of existing biofilms. This review of metal nanoparticles with antimicrobial actions included an analysis of 20 years of journal papers and patent applications, highlighting the progress over that time. A network analysis of relevant publications showed a major focus on the eradication of single-species biofilms formed under laboratory conditions, while a bibliometric analysis showed growing interest in combining different types of metal nanoparticles with one another or with antibiotics. The analysis of patent applications showed considerable growth over time, but with relatively few patents progressing to be granted. Overall, this profile shows that intense interest in metal nanoparticles as anti-biofilm agents is progressing beyond the confines of simple laboratory biofilm models and coming closer to clinical application. Looking to the future, metal nanoparticles may provide a sustainable approach to combatting biofilms of drug-resistant bacteria.

Keywords: antimicrobial agents; bimetallic nanoparticles; biofilm; metallic nanoparticles; silver nanoparticles.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The main stages of biofilm formation. Figure created using ©2024 Biorender.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Selected antibacterial actions of metallic nanoparticles. Image created using ©2024 Biorender.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Two main strategies for the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles. Biological methods such as green synthesis follow the bottom-up approach and reduce metal ions to metal nanoparticles. Image created using ©2024 Biorender.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Entry of AgNPs into the human body (by ingestion, inhalation, and topical application) and some major sites where silver can accumulate. Image created using ©2024 Biorender.
Figure 5
Figure 5
PRISMA flow diagram for the included studies from 2004 to 2024.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Publications per year on single metallic nanoparticles and bimetallic nanoparticles over 2004–2024. This graph was prepared using Prism 10 software. Note that for 2024, only the period from January to June 2024 is included.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The yearly and cumulative patent trend in last two decades. Data is obtained from searching the Espacenet database.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Metallic nanoparticle patent numbers by jurisdiction. This figure was prepared using Prism 10 software.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Patent applications (“reports”) and granted patents per year from 2004 to 2024 for metallic nanoparticles used for antimicrobial treatments. This figure was prepared using Prism 10 software.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Network analysis for silver nanoparticles, showing nodes for nanoparticle characterization (red) and for antimicrobial potency aspects (blue). This figure was prepared using VOS Viewer.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Network analysis for zinc nanoparticles showing characterization (red) and performance (blue). This figure was prepared using VOS Viewer software.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Network analysis for copper nanoparticles, showing characterization (red) and performance (blue). This figure was prepared using VOS Viewer software.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Network analysis for gold nanoparticles, showing characterization (red) and performance (blue). This figure was prepared using VOS Viewer software.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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