Silver Nanoparticles from Lawsonia inermis against Uropathogenic Escherichia coli: Antimicrobial, Antibiofilm, and Molecular Docking Investigations
Silver Nanoparticles Against Uropathogenic E. coli
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65329/wjeb.v14.01.06Keywords:
Antibiofilm, DNA gyrase, FimH, Green nanotechnology, Lawsonia inermis, Molecular docking, Silver nanoparticles, Uropathogenic Escherichia coliAbstract
Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is responsible for more than 80% of urinary tract infections (UTIs). These infections are associated with multidrug resistance, especially to extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL). This study evaluated the antibacterial and antibiofilm potential of biogenic silver nanoparticles (Bio-AgNPs) synthesized using Lawsonia inermis (henna) leaf extract against multidrug-resistant UPEC isolates. The virulence (fimH and papC) and resistance genes (blaCTX-M and blaKPC) in UPEC were amplified using multiplex PCR. The study also explores their mechanism of action and their molecular docking with three key UPEC virulence targets. The fimH gene was found in all isolates, while papC was found only in four isolates. The study showed that blaCTX-M and blaKPC genes were present in 4 and 1 isolate from 7 studies, respectively. Synthesized bio-AgNPs were semi-spherical (less than 50 nm). Bio-AgNPs exhibited potent, concentration-dependent bactericidal activity against all seven UPEC isolates (MICs of 3.12–12.5 µg/mL; MBCs of 6.25–25.0 µg/mL). All UPEC isolates were strong or moderate biofilm producers; minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) and minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) values were 4–64 times higher than planktonic MIC values. Molecular docking demonstrated strong binding affinities of the bio-AgNP silver core (−9.84 to −11.32 kcal/mol) and lawsone (−6.94 to −8.45 kcal/mol) against FimH adhesin (PDB: 4XO8), PapC usher (PDB: 3RFZ), and DNA Gyrase B (PDB: 4DUH), outperforming reference ligands. These findings support the use of bio-AgNPs synthesized as a promising alternative therapeutic strategy against multidrug-resistant (MDR) UPEC-associated UTIs. This finding needs an in vivo improvement project.
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