The investigation of antibacterial effects of Lawson (Hennaextract)-loaded porous silica nanoparticles

Background and Aim : Considering the increasing rise of infectious diseases and antibioticresistance to conventional drugs, great attention is paid to the development and production of newdrugs for the treatment of infectious diseases. In this context, nanotechnology plays an importantrole in the introduction of novel drugs, and nanoscale compounds have several advantagesincluding high reactivity, better therapeutic properties, and more suitable physical and chemicalcharacteristics. Porous silica nanoparticles can be used as carriers for various cargoes and increasethe solubility and availability of drugs with low solubility in aqueous environments, thusimproving the therapeutic properties of drugs. The aim of this study is to load Lawsone (Hennaextract) into the pores of porous silica nanoparticles and to investigate its antibacterial propertiesin comparison with Lawsone alone.Methods : For this purpose, nanoparticles were synthesized by the sol-gel method, and Lawsonewas loaded into their pores. Then, the prepared nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic lightscattering (DLS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) methods. Finally, theirantibacterial activity on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains was evaluated andcompared with Lawsone alone.Results : The characterization results showed that the amine-functionalized porous silicananoparticles had a hydrodynamic diameter of ۱۴۳± ۶ nm and a PDI of ۰.۳۱, and their zetapotential in water was +۳۱.۷±۳.۶ mV. FTIR analysis was performed to investigate the functionalgroups on the surface of the nanoparticles. A Si-O-Si absorption band was observed at ۱۰۶۰ cm-۱and another at ۸۰۶ cm-۱ which was attributed to the presence of Si-O groups in the structure ofthe nanoparticles. The broth microdilution method was applied to Staphylococcus aureus andEscherichia coli to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The results showedthat the loading of Lawsone in the pores of silica nanoparticles improved the antibacterialproperties and increased the solubility of Lawsone in the aqueous medium.Conclusion : This study showed that porous silica nanoparticles are a suitable carrier for Lawsoneand have the ability to improve its therapeutic properties.

کلیدواژه ها:

Porous silica nanoparticles ، Lawsone ، Antimicrobial properties ، Drug solubility.