Nanoparticle Size-Dependent Antibacterial Activities in Natural Minerals

Abstract

The size-dependent antibacterial activities of three minerals namely; alkali feldspar, calcite and stibnite are reported as examined individually against <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> by evaluating minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) with colony counting method, along with cell survivability assay (MTT). Each of these minerals were grinded into fine-size fractions-S1 (bulk), S₂ (ball milled) and S3 (nanosized) and spectroscopically characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. Antibacterial activity was found to be highest in the nanosized (S3) minerals. Interaction between bacteria and nanosized mineral samples produce intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), which might cause higher bacterial mortality. The penetration due to nano-dimension is another significant observation as evidenced by bacterial FESEM micrographs. The current findings thus provide a pathway for future research on antibacterial products retrievable from widely available geological materials. The size dependant antibacterial activity of naturally formed minerals is a new insight to reduce bacterial contamination in living systems.