Damage of lipopolysaccharides in outer cell membrane and production of ROS-mediated stress within bacteria makes nano zinc oxide a bactericidal agent

Zinc oxide nanoparticle (ZNP) has been synthesized by microwave-assisted technique with the aid of a buffer solution. ZNP inhibited the growth of bacterial system Escherichia coli, even its multidrug-resistant counterpart as well. Systematic evaluation reveals that bioavailable crystalline ZNP damages the lipopolysaccharide layer from outer membrane (OM) of E. coli, subsequently damages the OM followed by inner membrane, enters within the cell and generates extensive reactive oxygen species-mediated damage. A series of biochemical, biophysical and molecular techniques have been used to reach the conclusion. We believe this work is expected to enlighten the detailed mode of action study in bacterial system.