page_title: Oxidative dissolution of silver nanoparticles
section_title: Antimicrobial activity
hierarchical_section_title: Oxidative dissolution of silver nanoparticles / Antimicrobial activity
caption_attribution_description: English: Antibacterial Properties of AgNPs
context_page_description: Silver nanoparticles act primarily through a process known as oxidative dissolution, wherein Ag+ ions are released through an oxidative mechanism. AgNPs have potentially vast applications within the fields of medicine, science, and food and drug industries due to their antimicrobial properties, low cytotoxicity in humans, and inexpensive cost.
context_section_description: Antibacterial, antiviral  and anti-fungal  properties have been investigated in response to AgNP dissolution. Antibacterial activities of AgNPs are much stronger in oxygenic conditions than anoxic conditions. Through their oxidative dissolution in biological systems, AgNPs can target important biomolecules such as “DNA, peptides, and cofactors” as well as absorb into nonspecific moieties and simultaneously disrupt several metabolic pathways. They have been known to act as a bridging agent between thiols, to have affinity for organic amines and phosphates. The combination of silver ions’ reaction with biomolecules with oxidative stress, ultimately leads to toxicity in biological environment.
caption: Oxidative dissolution of AgNPs leads to antimicrobial conditions. Ag+ destroys several metabolic mechanisms of bacteria, as it: binds to bases in the DNA, preventing cell replication, denatures ribosomes thereby preventing protein synthesis, lyses the bacterial cell membrane, and destroys bacterial peptidoglycan walls.
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