Chloramphenicol and Gentamycin-encapsulated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles as a Nanocarrier for Antibacterial Efficacy via Targeted Drug Delivery
Vandana Sharma, Sanjay Sharma, Vishal Kansay, Varun Dutt Sharma, Rekha Sheoran, Manoj Singh, Chhavi Pahwa, Anupam Sharma, Suresh Kumar, Anil Kumar Sharma, M. K. Bera
Abstract
Surface functionalization of iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> NPs) with antibiotics is a novel approach that opens the door to drug delivery applications. In the present work, we report iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized by chemical co-precipitation method. As-synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) , energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet (UV)–visible (Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The poly-shaped Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> NPs of size (34 ± 10) nm with hematite (α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) phase were synthesized. The antibacterial activity of chloramphenicol and gentamicin and their formulation with encapsulated iron oxide nanoparticles was investigated by the agar well diffusion technique. Drug-encapsulated Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> NPs showed antibacterial activity against <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus</i> <i>aureus</i> strains, possibly in a dose-dependent manner. Significant effectiveness was confirmed by the increase in the single range of inhibition against the tested microorganisms. Furthermore, the effect of iron oxide nanoparticle concentrations ranging from 1 to 9 μg/μL on bacterial growth was examined.