Antibacterial activity of Ag+/MAF-7 nanocomposites against Enterococcus faecalis

Abstract

Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) is one of the dominant bacteria in infected root canals, and it is tolerant to commonly used root canal disinfectants. Ag+ has a certain antibacterial effect on E. faecalis, but the instability and potential toxicity of Ag+ limit its application. Metal azolate framework-7 (MAF-7) is a typical metal–organic framework that has been used for drug delivery due to its high encapsulation efficiency, tunable release profile, and low cytotoxicity. In this study, we used a simple method for the synthesis of Ag+/MAF-7 nanocomposites. After characterization via several techniques, the antibacterial activity of this nanocomposite against E. faecalis was investigated. Ag+ was found to be uniformly bound to MAF-7, and the resulting Ag+/MAF-7 nanocomposite showed significant antibacterial activity against E. faecalis. This study demonstrates the potential application of nanocomposite antibacterial materials in treating infected root canals.