Nickel nanoparticles: from toxicity to antibacterial activity
Nickel nanoparticles: from toxicity to antibacterial activity
Yousef Alaee Mollabashi,1,*Peyman sefidi,2Elahe Khalili,3
1. Department of Biology, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran 2. Department of Biology, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran 3. Department of Biology, Ardanil Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ardabil, Iran
Introduction: Over time and through various studies around the world, nanotechnology has reached where we see it today. Nanoparticles are one of the most valuable products in the development of nanotechnology. Nanoparticles of silver, gold, zinc, manganese, nickel, etc. are among the nanoparticles that have been produced and studied so far. The typical size of these particles is between 1 nanometer to 100 nanometers, but in some studies, this size is more than 100 nanometers. By reducing the particles size from micrometres to nanometers, extensive and important changes in the physical and chemical properties of the particles occur. One of the most important of these changes is the size of the surface to the volume. Due to their small size, nanoparticles can penetrate tissues, cells, biological structures, etc. in the human body, animals, pathogens, etc. and be effective. For many years, for various reasons, such as small size, nanoparticles charge, etc., concerns have been raised about the toxicity and dangerousness of such particles, which should be subjected to strict considerations and controls for use in clinical cases related to humans. However, regarding the antimicrobial properties of nanoparticles, various studies have been performed on particles such as silver, copper, zinc, iron, etc., and it has been proven that due to the effect on the cell wall and cell membrane of pathogens, the effect on the respiratory chain, induced planned death, and so on. Nickel in the periodic table of elements is a hard metal with a white-silver colour. Nickel nanoparticles are also black and spherical, which has been effective against various bacteria. However, in addition to this antibacterial property, these nanoparticles have toxic properties and side effects such as induction of oxidative stress, production of free radicals, etc. In this study, our aim is to provide an overview of the antibacterial and toxic properties of nickel nanoparticles.
Methods: Using keywords related to the purpose of this study, such as nickel nanoparticles and antibacterial activity of nickel nanoparticles and etc, we applied to find the desired references without applying a specific time interval.
Results: Endocytosis (active) and diffusion (passive) methods are used to adsorb nanoparticles into cells. According to the NTP and the IARC in previous years, nickel is carcinogenic element and is in the number one group. In one study, researchers suggested that one of the reasons for the decrease in catalase activity was the accumulation of free radicals and so on. On the other hand, nickel nanoparticles in high and low doses cause fluctuations in the concentration of catalase in the liver, which may be due to tissue damage caused by nanoparticles. In another study, the introduction of nickel nanoparticles into the body of the study model increased the levels of ROS and MDA. Various studies can be mentioned on the antimicrobial properties of nickel nanoparticles. The results of a study showed that the concentration and duration of contact of nickel nanoparticles with the pathogen are effective on its antibacterial properties. In another study, nickel nanoparticles were used on the biofilm of mupirocin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and were able to kill it.
Conclusion: Further studies on the antimicrobial properties and negative effects of these nanoparticles can lead to more and better improvements.