Hydrothermal synthesis of silver vanadate nanoparticles, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory potentials, cytotoxicity and interference on the activity of antimicrobial drugs

Abstract

Bacterial resistance to antimicrobial drugs represents a critical threat to global health, compromising the efficacy of standard therapies. In this study, we evaluated the antimicrobial properties of silver vanadate microrods (SVMs) against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. SVMs were active against all tested isolates, with MIC values of 128 µg/mL for S. aureus and 256 µg/mL for Gram-negative species. Notably, checkerboard assays revealed synergistic interactions with azithromycin, clindamycin, and sulfamethoxazole (FICi 0.093-0.125), indicating that SVM might potentiate the activity of antimicrobial drugs. The MBC/MIC ratio classified SVM as bactericidal against Gram-negative isolates and bacteriostatic against S. aureus. Scanning electron microscopy suggested a membrane disruption mechanism by a direct nanoparticle-bacteria interaction. SVM also exhibited anti-inflammatory activity comparable to tenoxicam in vitro. SVM presented cytotoxicity to BGM cells at 3.13 µg/mL (CC₅₀). Our findings suggest that SVM is a promising candidate for combination therapy, warranting further investigation with surface-functionalized formulations to improve its selectivity.

Keywords

• Silver vanadate
• Nanoparticles
• Antimicrobial
• Clinical isolates

Supporting Institution

FAPEG, FAPEMIG, CNPq.

Project Number

FAPEG, 4/2023 – FAPEG/UFG/FUNAPE. FAPEMIG, APQ-0431123 and APQ-02473-23. BRICS CNPq 440177/2022-4, Universal CNPq 405627/2023-8.

Ethical Statement

Not Applicable

Thanks

We are thankful to Renan Martins dos Santos, MSc, for the assistance with the microbiology experiments; to Murilo Neia Thomaz da Silva, for the assistance with SEM analysis; and to Miriam Chaves Schultz, for kindly providing the BGM cells used in this study. AOTP and LLN are thankful to Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás (FAPEG, 4/2023 – FAPEG/UFG/FUNAPE). This research was partially funded by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG, APQ-0431123 and APQ-02473-23) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (BRICS CNPq 440177/2022-4, Universal CNPq 405627/2023-8).

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