Performance determinates and mechanism of metallic nanoparticles as antimicrobial agents: a review
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Okara
- 2King Abdullaha Teaching Hospital
- 3Department of Chemistry, University of Okara
- 4Department of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most serious global public health problems, and contributes to poor treatment outcomes for bacterial infections. Experimental platforms such as metallic and metal-oxide nanoparticles have been picked up as potential antimicrobial agents, as they can damage bacterial membranes, release metal ions, induce oxidative stress, disrupt proteins and nucleic acids, and interfere with biofilm formation. This is a narrative review; representative studies were selected to illustrate mechanistic diversity and performance determinants rather than through a systematic search protocol. This review summarizes commonly used nanoparticle synthesis routes such as chemical reduction, green synthesis, microwave-assisted synthesis, hydrothermal, sol–gel and biological synthesis and also discusses physicochemical determinants of antibacterial performance. Representative studies are included in this review that illustrate that antibacterial activity of nanoparticles substantially changes with size and formulation. However, the comparison among the studies remains limited due to differences in bacterial strain, assay format, inoculum, medium composition, exposure time and characterization of particles. The available literature supports the in-vitro antibacterial and antibiofilm activity for some metallic nanomaterials. Antibacterial efficacy and biocompatibility are important considerations in evaluating the potential of metallic and metal-oxide nanoparticles for antimicrobial applications. Key parameters that primarily impact these qualities and determine their overall effectiveness include shape, size, surface-to-volume ratio, surface modification, and the inhibition of biofilm formation. Nevertheless, findings summarized in this review should not be interpreted as evidence of established clinical efficacy. Key barriers could be host cell toxicity, aggregation effects, protein-corona, uncertain distribution and pharmacokinetics, nanoparticles tolerance, environmental persistence, dose standardization, production and incomplete regulatory frameworks.
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BibTeX
@article{shams2026performance,
title = {{Performance determinates and mechanism of metallic nanoparticles as antimicrobial agents: a review}},
author = {Fehmida Shams and Haider Ali and Komal Farghama and Muhammad Usman Khan and Muhammad Saleem Khan and Muhammad Wajid and Shifa Shaffique},
journal = {Bioscience Nanotechnology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1186/s44331-026-00037-3},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s44331-026-00037-3},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Performance determinates and mechanism of metallic nanoparticles as antimicrobial agents: a review
AU - Fehmida Shams
AU - Haider Ali
AU - Komal Farghama
AU - Muhammad Usman Khan
AU - Muhammad Saleem Khan
AU - Muhammad Wajid
AU - Shifa Shaffique
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/25
JO - Bioscience Nanotechnology
DO - 10.1186/s44331-026-00037-3
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s44331-026-00037-3
AB - Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most serious global public health problems, and contributes to poor treatment outcomes for bacterial infections. Experimental platforms such as metallic and metal-oxide nanoparticles have been picked up as potential antimicrobial agents, as they can damage bacterial membranes, release metal ions, induce oxidative stress, disrupt proteins and nucleic acids, and interfere with biofilm formation. This is a narrative review; representative studies were selected to illustrate mechanistic diversity and performance determinants rather than through a systematic search protocol. This review summarizes commonly used nanoparticle synthesis routes such as chemical reduction, green synthesis, microwave-assisted synthesis, hydrothermal, sol–gel and biological synthesis and also discusses physicochemical determinants of antibacterial performance. Representative studies are included in this review that illustrate that antibacterial activity of nanoparticles substantially changes with size and formulation. However, the comparison among the studies remains limited due to differences in bacterial strain, assay format, inoculum, medium composition, exposure time and characterization of particles. The available literature supports the in-vitro antibacterial and antibiofilm activity for some metallic nanomaterials. Antibacterial efficacy and biocompatibility are important considerations in evaluating the potential of metallic and metal-oxide nanoparticles for antimicrobial applications. Key parameters that primarily impact these qualities and determine their overall effectiveness include shape, size, surface-to-volume ratio, surface modification, and the inhibition of biofilm formation. Nevertheless, findings summarized in this review should not be interpreted as evidence of established clinical efficacy. Key barriers could be host cell toxicity, aggregation effects, protein-corona, uncertain distribution and pharmacokinetics, nanoparticles tolerance, environmental persistence, dose standardization, production and incomplete regulatory frameworks.
SN - 3004-8648
ER -