In Vitro Evaluation of Antibacterial Properties of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on Pathogenic Prokaryotes

Introduction: Recent increases in microbial resistance to multiple antibiotics have led to the emergence of more economical methods for producing nanoparticles with physical, chemical effects and limited resistance. The aim of this research was to study zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles synthesis and antibacterial properties against some gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Material and Methods: In this study, ZnO nanoparticle was synthesized using ultrasonic method and bioassayed on 10 human pathogenic bacteria by agar well diffusion method. In addition, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined as well. Antibiotic resistance pattern of bacteria was determined to 9 antibiotics: gentamicin, ampicillin, nalidixic acid, amoxicillin, amikacin, ciprofloxacin, co-trimoxazole, norfloxacin and cephalexin by disc diffusion assay. Results: The nanoparticles were synthesized with suitable morphology and distribution. All gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria were inhibited at the low concentration of ZnO nanoparticles most bacteria had resistance to antibiotics. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the ZnO nanoparticles have potential applications as antibacterial compounds and their mechanism of action is dependent upon composition and surface modifications