Ciprofloxacin-Loaded Gold Nanoparticles against Antimicrobial Resistance: An In Vivo Assessment
Afrah Nawaz,
Syed Mohsin Ali,
Nosheen Fatima Rana,
Tahreem Tanweer,
Amna Batool,
Thomas J. Webster,
Farid Menaa,
Sundus Riaz,
Zahra Rehman,
Farhat Batool,
Misha Fatima,
Tuba Maryam,
Iqra Shafique,
Abida Saleem,
Arfa Iqbal
Affiliations
Afrah Nawaz
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, National University of Science & Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Syed Mohsin Ali
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, National University of Science & Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Nosheen Fatima Rana
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, National University of Science & Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Tahreem Tanweer
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, National University of Science & Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Amna Batool
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, National University of Science & Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Thomas J. Webster
Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Farid Menaa
Departments of Internal Medicine and Nanomedicine, California Innovations Corporation, San Diego, CA 92037, USA
Sundus Riaz
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, National University of Science & Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Zahra Rehman
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, National University of Science & Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Farhat Batool
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, National University of Science & Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Misha Fatima
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, National University of Science & Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Tuba Maryam
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, National University of Science & Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Iqra Shafique
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, National University of Science & Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Abida Saleem
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, National University of Science & Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Arfa Iqbal
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, National University of Science & Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Metallic nanoparticles, such as gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), have been extensively studied as drug delivery systems for various therapeutic applications. However, drug-loaded-AuNPs have been rarely explored in vivo for their effect on bacteria residing inside tissues. Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is a second-generation fluoroquinolone with a broad-spectrum of antibiotic properties devoid of developing bacteria resistance. This research is focused on the synthesis and physical characterization of Ciprofloxacin-loaded gold nanoparticles (CIP-AuNPs) and their effect on the colonization of Enterococcus faecalis in the liver and kidneys of mice. The successfully prepared CIP-AuNPs were stable and exerted enhanced in vitro antibacterial activity against E. faecalis compared with free CIP. The optimized CIP-AuNPs were administered (500 µg/Kg) once a day via tail vein to infected mice for eight days and were found to be effective in eradicating E. faecalis from the host tissues. Moreover, unlike CIP, CIP-AuNPs were non-hemolytic. In summary, this study demonstrated that CIP-AuNPs are promising and biocompatible alternative therapeutics for E.-faecalis-induced infections resistant to conventional drugs (e.g., beta-lactams and vancomycin) and should be further investigated.
