SYNTHESIS OF CLOXACILLIN@AG NANOPARTICLES WITH ENHANCED ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY BY PHOTO-REDUCTION METHOD

The increase in antimicrobial resistance necessitates the development of new therapeutics. In this context, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) show considerable promise due to their multiple antimicrobial mechanisms, including cell wall disruption, oxidative stress, and DNA damage, as well as their relatively low toxicity. The effectiveness of AgNPs depends on their size, shape, and surface modifications; their combination with ligands can also produce synergistic effects. In this study, cloxacillin sodium (a β-lactam antibiotic) was employed as a ligand to synthesize Clox@AgNPs under UV (311 nm) irradiation using a photo-reduction method. The characteristic absorbance peak, morphology, surface charge, and diameter of the Clox@AgNPs were analyzed using UV–visible spectroscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering and zeta potential analyses. The antibacterial activity of the Clox@AgNPs against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was then evaluated to enhance the efficacy of existing antibiotics. This approach may provide a valuable contribution to future antimicrobial strategies.