Seminar of the Division of Biomedical Physicochemistry
Microsoft Teams
Novel experimental approach to investigating interactions of micro- and nano-crystalline ZnO with Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and bacterial growth environments
dr John Reeks
Oddział Fizykochemii Biomedycznej, INTiBS PAN
Seminarium odbędzie się w trybie zdalnym przy użyciu programu Microsoft Teams. Osoby w domenie intibs.pl mogą dołączyć do zespołu Seminarium OFB przy użyciu kodu: 7aoxdkd. Pozostałe osoby proszone są o kontakt pod adresem
Streszczenie:
ZnO is known for exhibiting antimicrobial properties. Numerous studies have investigated its antibacterial action in recent years. These studies support numerous hypotheses for the mechanisms involved in ZnO-driven bacterial growth inhibition. However, the fundamental interactions between ZnO and bacteria leading to growth inhibition are still not well understood. This seminar will briefly review the development and establishment of a novel, interdisciplinary experimental approach to investigating interactions between micro- and nano-scale ZnO and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. The new experimental approach involves systematic, analytical investigations of the optoelectronic and morphological properties of ZnO crystals in conjunction with standardize and modified biological assays. This study utilized both commercial grade ZnO nanoparticles and hydrothermally grown ZnO micro-crystals as antibacterial agents against S. aureus bacteria. Modified assays established that bacteria do not need to physically contact or internalize ZnO crystals for growth to be inhibited. Electron microscopy studies revealed bacteria- and phosphate-rich growth environments can lead to the formation of new zinc-containing crystalline phases. Photoluminescence and surface photovoltage results exhibit significant changes in excitonic properties and near-surface electronic structure as a result of interactions with bacterial growth environments. Results from these optoelectronic assays agree with previous results from the biological assays.
