Polymer mediated synthesis of cationic silver nanoparticles as an effective anti-fungal and anti-biofilm agent against Candida species

Superbugs, multidrug-resistant microorganisms, have become a significant threat to the global healthcare sector over the past few decades. Among other diseases, invasive fungal infections caused by the Candida species are the most common cause of nosocomial infections with antifungal resistance. This work has employed a facile aqueous phase process to synthesize a stable, cationic silver nanoparticle using polyethyleneimine (PEI) as both a reducing and stabilizing agent. We determined that the polymer ratio plays a vital role in particle size and charge. As a result, the efficacy of antimicrobial activity was inversely proportional to the particle size from the disc diffusion and microdilution method. Furthermore, the smallest nanoparticles were shown to inhibit biofilm formation of Candida on silicon catheters and proved to be an efficient and potential anticandidal agent against the standard and clinical isolates of Candida. Therefore, the current investigation paves a new avenue for the green fabrication of nano-silver based anticandidal agents.

Automated summary

This study successfully synthesized stable cationic silver nanoparticles using a facile aqueous phase process, which exhibited antimicrobial activity against Candida species, especially in inhibiting biofilm formation.