Biological activity of metal nanoparticles and their oxides and their effect on bacterial cells

Metal nanoparticles and their oxides are one prospective candidate for making a new class of antibacterial agents. Active interest in nanomaterials is caused by the fact that the transition to the nanodimensional level leads to a change in the fundamental properties of a substance that is connected with the display of so-called “quantum dimensional effects.” The biological activity of metal nanoparticles and their oxides is caused by their small size; nanoparticles can approach a bioobject, interact with it, and contact it. In this review, the basic mechanisms of antibacterial activity of nanoparticles of silver, copper, nickel, and titanium oxide are considered; the metal nanoparticle biological activity dependence on their physicochemical properties is demonstrated. The necessity of studying the physicochemical parameters of metal nanoparticles and their oxides for the standardization of their further application as antibacterial agents is determined. © 2015, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.