Effect of silver nanoparticle geometry on methicillin susceptible and resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and osteoblast viability

Lisa Actis, Anand Srinivasan, Jose L. Lopez-Ribot, Anand K. Ramasubramanian, Joo L. Ong

Orthopedic implant failure as a result of bacterial infection affects approximately 0.5-5 % of patients. These infections are often caused by Staphylococcus aureus which is capable of attaching and subsequently forming a biofilm on the implant surface, making it difficult to eradicate with systemic antibiotics. Further, with the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, alternative treatments are necessary. Silver nanoparticles have received much attention for their broad spectrum antibacterial activity which has been reported to be both size and shape dependent. The purpose of this study was therefore to evaluate the effect of three different geometries on their effect on microbial susceptibility as well as evaluate their effect on bone cell viability. Silver nanoparticles of spherical, triangular and cuboid shapes were synthesized by chemical reduction methods. The susceptibility of S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus was evaluated a 24 h period and determined using a colorimetric assay. Further, the viability of human fetal osteoblast (hFOB) cells in the presence of the silver nanoparticles was evaluated over a period of 7 days by AlmarBlue fluorescence assay. hFOB morphology was also evaluated by light microscopy imaging. Results indicated that silver nanoparticle geometry did not have an effect on microbiota susceptibility or hFOB viability. However, high concentrations of silver nanoparticles (0.5 nM) conferred significant susceptibility towards the bacteria and significantly reduced hFOB viability. It was also found that the hFOBs exhibited an increasingly reduced viability to lower silver nanoparticle concentrations with an increase in exposure time.