Iron oxide nanoparticles in different modifications for antimicrobial phototherapy

摘要

The main goal of this study was to investigate the sensitivity of microorganisms to combined action of blue light and iron oxide nanoparticles. Two strains of Staphylococcus aureus - methicillin-sensitive and meticillin-resistant were used. As a blue light source LED with spectral maximum at 405 nm was taken. The light exposure was ranged from 5 to 30 min. The Fe_2O_3 (diameter ～27 nm), Fe_3O_4 nanoparticles (diameter ～19 nm), and composite Fe_2O_3/TiO_2 nanoparticles (diameter ～100 nm) were synthesized. It was shown that irradiation by blue light caused from 20% to 88% decrease in the number of microorganisms treated with nanoparticles. Morphological changes in bacterial cells after phototreatment were analyzed using scanning electron microscope.