Assessing the anti-bacterial activity of zinc oxide nanoparticles from aloe barbadensis on klebsiella pnuemoniae and staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

Nanoparticles are employed extensively in the fields of electronics, optics, biomedicine, and materials science. They have gained unexpected popularity in recent years by offering creative solutions in several scientific fields. Due to the high surface area-to-volume ratio and distinctive physicochemical properties such as color, dispersion, and thermodynamics, they demonstrate possessions related to size that are remarkably distinct from bulk materials and have unique properties in comparison to their macro scale counterparts (Azeez et al., 2020) Therefore, advanced uses of nanotechnology are being made in the field of food science, and it has emerged as a key factor in production, processing, storage, and quality control of foods. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are one of the metal oxide nano-materials and are valuable and versatile inorganic compounds due to their unique physical and chemical characteristics. That is to say, they possess high chemical stability, a broadened radiation absorption spectrum, high electrochemical coupling coefficient, and high photo stability with their molecular formula according to (Bae et al., 2010). However, ZnO-NPs have been widely manufactured and utilized in various commercial and additive products, including ceramics, cement, plastics, glass, ointments, lubricants, adhesives, sealants, pigments, batteries, ferrites, fire retardants, cosmetics, and sunscreens, as well as in foods as a source of zinc nutrient. The nano-sized particles demonstrate significant antibacterial capabilities due to their small size, which can stimulate different bactericidal mechanisms (Tudor et al., 2014). Once inside the bacterial cell, or in contact with the bacterial surface or bacterial core, they generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), release Zn2+, and could even easily be endocytosied by cells (Hughes et al., 2010). However, in the line of research, Aloe barbadensis has got a component of zinc from which these nanoparticles could be obtained. This has therefore necessitated the exploration of new antibiotics since zinc oxide nanoparticles have been shown to be a potent anti-microbial product considering the available literature on Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae resistance (Chu & Li, 2009). This resistance has been attributed to the production of antibiotics, although other mechanisms could also be involved, including those that could reduce membrane permeability, alter penicillin-binding proteins or expel drugs from the cells.