Evaluation of mesoporous silica nanoparticles-based nanoantibiotics and capsaicin on E. coli and S. aureus biofilms

Since antibiotics were discovered, bacteria have demonstrated the ability to develop resistance by many different mechanisms. According to WHO reports from 2014, there has been an alarming increase in the antibiotic resistant bacterial strains in most parts of the world1. Our previous results showed that a nanoantibiotic (NAB) design created in our laboratory2, composed of a cerium oxide core, mesoporous silica shell loaded with capsaicin, and a chitosan coating, are effective against planktonic E. coli. However, most of the pathogenic bacteria form biofilms during infections. That is why the next stage of studying NAB is to determine whether they are effective against biofilms of different species. Moreover, the results of NAB efficiency against planktonic E. coli did not clearly show the contribution of the antibiotic drug component of NAB – capsaicin. Hence, the first step of the current study is to determine whether and to what degree, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) – serving as NAB model in this case - penetrate biofilms as a function of particle shape and surface coating; as well as finding the efficient concentration of capsaicin against E. coli and S. aureus to optimize the NAB dosing against biofilms.