Synthesis of Antimicrobial Chitosan-Silver Nanoparticles Mediated by Reusable Chitosan Fungal Beads

Hermosilla, Edward; Díaz, Marcela; Vera, Joelis; Contreras, María José; Leal, Karla; Salazar, Rodrigo; Barrientos, Leticia; Tortella, Gonzalo; Rubilar, Olga

doi:10.3390/ijms24032318

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis of Antimicrobial Chitosan-Silver Nanoparticles Mediated by Reusable Chitosan Fungal Beads

by

Edward Hermosilla

^1,2,*

,

Marcela Díaz

²,

Joelis Vera

^2,3

,

María José Contreras

^4,5,6,

Karla Leal

^4,5,6,

Rodrigo Salazar

^4,5,6,

Leticia Barrientos

^4,5,6

,

Gonzalo Tortella

^1,2

and

Olga Rubilar

^1,2,*

¹

Chemical Engineering Department, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 4811230, Chile

²

Biotechnological Research Center Applied to the Environment (CIBAMA-BIOREN), Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 4811230, Chile

³

Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 4811230, Chile

⁴

Extreme Environments Biotechnology Lab, Center of Excellence in Translational Medicine, Universidad de La Frontera, Av. Alemania 0458, Temuco 4811230, Chile

⁵

Scientific and Technological Bioresource Nucleus (BIOREN), Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 4811230, Chile

⁶

Center of Excellence in Traslational Medicine (CEMT), Universidad de La Frontera, Av. Alemania 0458, Temuco 4811230, Chile

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(3), 2318; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24032318

Submission received: 20 December 2022 / Revised: 15 January 2023 / Accepted: 16 January 2023 / Published: 24 January 2023

(This article belongs to the Topic Antimicrobial Agents and Nanomaterials)

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Abstract

Nanoparticles, especially silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), have gained significant attention in recent years as potential alternatives to traditional antibiotics for treating infectious diseases due to their ability to inhibit the growth of microorganisms effectively. Ag NPs can be synthesized using fungi extract, but the method is not practical for large-scale production due to time and biomass limitations. In this study, we explore the use of chitosan to encapsulate the mycelia of the white-rot fungus Stereum hirsutum and form chitosan fungal beads for use in multiple extractions and nanoparticle synthesis. The resulting nanoparticles were characterized using various techniques, including UV-vis spectrophotometry, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The analysis revealed that the synthesized nanoparticles were composed of chitosan-silver nanoparticles (CS-Ag NPs) with a size of 25 nm. The chitosan fungal beads were reused in three extractions and nanoparticle synthesis before they lost their ability to produce CS-Ag NPs. The CS-Ag NPs showed potent antimicrobial activity against phytopathogenic and human pathogenic microorganisms, including Pseudomonas syringae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans, with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 1.5, 1.6, 3.1, and 4 µg/mL, respectively. The antimicrobial activity of CS-Ag NPs was from 2- to 40-fold higher than Ag NPs synthesized using an aqueous extract of unencapsulated fungal biomass. The CS-Ag NPs were most effective at a pH of five regarding the antimicrobial activity. These results suggest that the chitosan fungal beads may be a promising alternative for the sustainable and cost-effective synthesis of CS-Ag NPs with improved antimicrobial activity.

Keywords: nanoparticle synthesis; chitosan-silver nanoparticles; reusable fungal biomass; antimicrobial activity

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MDPI and ACS Style

Hermosilla, E.; Díaz, M.; Vera, J.; Contreras, M.J.; Leal, K.; Salazar, R.; Barrientos, L.; Tortella, G.; Rubilar, O. Synthesis of Antimicrobial Chitosan-Silver Nanoparticles Mediated by Reusable Chitosan Fungal Beads. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24, 2318. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24032318

AMA Style

Hermosilla E, Díaz M, Vera J, Contreras MJ, Leal K, Salazar R, Barrientos L, Tortella G, Rubilar O. Synthesis of Antimicrobial Chitosan-Silver Nanoparticles Mediated by Reusable Chitosan Fungal Beads. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2023; 24(3):2318. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24032318

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hermosilla, Edward, Marcela Díaz, Joelis Vera, María José Contreras, Karla Leal, Rodrigo Salazar, Leticia Barrientos, Gonzalo Tortella, and Olga Rubilar. 2023. "Synthesis of Antimicrobial Chitosan-Silver Nanoparticles Mediated by Reusable Chitosan Fungal Beads" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 24, no. 3: 2318. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24032318

APA Style

Hermosilla, E., Díaz, M., Vera, J., Contreras, M. J., Leal, K., Salazar, R., Barrientos, L., Tortella, G., & Rubilar, O. (2023). Synthesis of Antimicrobial Chitosan-Silver Nanoparticles Mediated by Reusable Chitosan Fungal Beads. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(3), 2318. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24032318

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Synthesis of Antimicrobial Chitosan-Silver Nanoparticles Mediated by Reusable Chitosan Fungal Beads

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