Effect of particle size on the antimicrobial power of zinc oxide micro- and nano- particles in the powder form

Subject Areas : Molecular Microbiology

Susan Sohrabi ¹ , Mohammad Kargar ² , Amin Ramezani ³ , elham moazamian ⁴ , Alireza Ebrahiminezhad ⁵

1 - Department of Microbiology, College of Sciences, Agriculture and Modern Technology, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran.
2 - Department of Microbiology, Zand Institute of Higher Education, Shiraz, Iran.
3 - Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
4 - Department of Microbiology, Shi.C., Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran.
5 - Biotechnology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.

Received: 2024-11-27 Accepted : 2025-01-29 Published : 2025-03-10

Keywords: Nanopowder, Nanostructures, Zinc Oxide, Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy ,

Abstract :

Background & Objectives: Zinc oxide nanopowder has wide application as an antimicrobial compound in various industries. In previous studies, antimicrobial effect of these particles in colloidal state was investigated. Considering different behavior of particles in powder and colloidal state, this study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of zinc oxide particle size on their antimicrobial power in powder state.

Material and Methods: This study was conducted in laboratory conditions after the preparation of zinc oxide microparticles and nanoparticles by precipitation method. The appearance, surface and size characteristics of the particles were examined by electron imaging. Elemental analysis of the particles was performed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The antimicrobial power of the particles powder was examined by agar diffusion method.

Results: The synthesized particles had an average size of 1.586±0.415 μm and 142±28 nm. The commercial nanoparticles used also had an average size of 50 nm. Elemental analysis confirmed the presence of zinc and oxygen, which are characteristic of zinc oxide. Zinc oxide microparticles and nanoparticles in powder form did not show a significant difference in antimicrobial potency.

Conclusion: The antimicrobial activity of zinc oxide particles in powder form does not follow the laws governing colloids. Therefore, the size of zinc oxide particles does not have a significant effect on the antimicrobial power of these particles in powder form. Therefore, zinc oxide microparticles can be substituted for nanoparticles in commercial formulations.

References:

1. Islam F, Shohag S, Uddin MJ, Islam MR, Nafady MH, Akter A, et al. Exploring the journey of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) toward biomedical applications. Materials. 2022;15(6):2160.
2. Goswami S, Bishnoi A, Tank D, Patel P, Chahar M, Khaturia S, et al. Recent trends in the synthesis, characterization and commercial applications of zinc oxide nanoparticles-a review. Inorg Chim Acta. 2024:122350.
3. Espitia PJP, Soares NdFF, Coimbra JSdR, de Andrade NJ, Cruz RS, Medeiros EAA. Zinc oxide nanoparticles: synthesis, antimicrobial activity and food packaging applications. Food and bioprocess technology. 2012;5:1447-64.
4. Sibiya A, Jeyavani J, Santhanam P, Preetham E, Freitas R, Vaseeharan B. Comparative evaluation on the toxic effect of silver (Ag) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles on different trophic levels in aquatic ecosystems: A review. Journal of Applied Toxicology. 2022;42(12):1890-900.
5. Sadi BS, Chehreii S, Esmaeili M. Biosynthesis of ZnO nanoparticles using green tea extract and determination of its antibiofilm effect on Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from wound infection. J Microbial World. 2019;12(38):27-38.
6. Irede EL, Awoyemi RF, Owolabi B, Aworinde OR, Kajola RO, Hazeez A, et al. Cutting-edge developments in zinc oxide nanoparticles: synthesis and applications for enhanced antimicrobial and UV protection in healthcare solutions. RSC Adv. 2024;14(29):20992-1034.
7. Mondal MIH, Islam MM, Ahmed F. Enhanced wound healing with biogenic zinc oxide nanoparticle-incorporated carboxymethyl cellulose/polyvinylpyrrolidone nanocomposite hydrogels. Biomaterials Science. 2025;13(1):193-209.
8. Shreiki H, Bashour G, Kinjo H. Successful healing of chronic venous ulcer using zinc oxide nanoparticles and compression therapy in a 75-year-old Syrian female: a case report. Annals of Medicine and Surgery. 2025;87(1):417-20.
9. Gupta V, Verma P, Gupta A, Kant V, Kumar P, Sharma M. Comparative evaluation for wound healing potentials of bulk and nano forms of zinc oxide ointment. Наносистемы: физика, химия, математика. 2020;11(4):443-51.
10. Soltani-Nezhad S, Khorasgani MR, Emtiazi G. Analysis of zinc resistance gene in zinc and zinc oxide nanoparticles resistant Pseudomonas stutzeri SEE-1 isolated from soil. J Microbial World. 2015;8(23):139-47.
11. Mendes CR, Dilarri G, Forsan CF, Sapata VdMR, Lopes PRM, de Moraes PB, et al. Antibacterial action and target mechanisms of zinc oxide nanoparticles against bacterial pathogens. Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):2658.
12. Xiu Z-m, Zhang Q-b, Puppala HL, Colvin VL, Alvarez PJ. Negligible particle-specific antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles. Nano Lett. 2012;12(8):4271-5.
13. Ginjupalli K, Shaw T, Tellapragada C, Alla R, Gupta L, Perampalli NU. Does the size matter? Evaluation of effect of incorporation of silver nanoparticles of varying particle size on the antimicrobial activity and properties of irreversible hydrocolloid impression material. Dent Mater. 2018;34(7):e158-e65.
14. Hossain TJ. Methods for screening and evaluation of antimicrobial activity: A review of protocols, advantages, and limitations. Eur J Microbiol Immunol. 2024;14(2):97-115.
15. (CLSI) CaLSI. Performance standards for antimicrobial disk susceptibility tests; Approved Standard—Eleventh Edition. PA 19087 USA: CLSI; 2012. p. 58.
16. (NCCLS) C. Methods for determining bactericidal activity of antimicrobial agents; approved guideline. Pennsylvania 19087 USA: CLSI; 1999.
17. Institute CaLS. Methods for dilution antimicrobial susceptibility tests for bacteria that grow aerobically: approved standard. CLSI document M07-A8 (ISBN 1-56238-689-1). 8 ed. Pennsylvania, USA: Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute; 2009.
18. Balouiri M, Sadiki M, Ibnsouda SK. Methods for in vitro evaluating antimicrobial activity: A review. J Pharm Anal. 2016;6(2):71-9.
19. Salam MA, Al-Amin MY, Pawar JS, Akhter N, Lucy IB. Conventional methods and future trends in antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Saudi J Biol Sci. 2023;30(3):103582.
20. Gonzalez-Pastor R, Carrera-Pacheco SE, Zúñiga-Miranda J, Rodríguez-Pólit C, Mayorga-Ramos A, Guamán LP, et al. Current landscape of methods to evaluate antimicrobial activity of natural extracts. Molecules. 2023;28(3):1068.
21. Ebrahiminezhad A, Sohrabi S, Berenjian A. Agar cell diffusion, a novel technique to evaluate antimicrobial potency of nanoparticles in the powder state. BioNanoScience. 2025;15(1):203.
22. Lei C, Pi M, Jiang C, Cheng B, Yu J. Synthesis of hierarchical porous zinc oxide (ZnO) microspheres with highly efficient adsorption of Congo red. J Colloid Interface Sci. 2017;490:242-51.
23. Qian S, Bao E, Chen H. Facile preparation of porous ZnO microflowers with large surface area. Mater Lett. 2023;330:133347.
24. Xu C, Wang Y, Chen H. Rapid and simple synthesis of 3D ZnO microflowers at room temperature. Mater Lett. 2015;158:347-50.
25. Sepulveda-Guzman S, Reeja-Jayan B, de La Rosa E, Torres-Castro A, Gonzalez-Gonzalez V, Jose-Yacaman M. Synthesis of assembled ZnO structures by precipitation method in aqueous media. Mater Chem Phys. 2009;115(1):172-8.
26. Jiang J, Pi J, Cai J. The advancing of zinc oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications. Bioinorg Chem Appl. 2018;2018.
27. Hajos M, Starowicz M, Brzychczyk B, Basista G, Francik S. Size distribution of zinc oxide nanoparticles depending on the temperature of electrochemical synthesis. Materials. 2025;18(2):458.
28. Piravar Z, Fesharaki MJ, Assar H. Comparable antibacterial effects of zinc and graphene oxide nanoparticles on urinary calculi obtained after percutaneous nephrolithotomy. J Microbial World. 2024;17(58):62-72.
29. Nisar P, Ali N, Rahman L, Ali M, Shinwari ZK. Antimicrobial activities of biologically synthesized metal nanoparticles: an insight into the mechanism of action. JBIC Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry. 2019;24:929-41.
30. Gold K, Slay B, Knackstedt M, Gaharwar AK. Antimicrobial activity of metal and metal‐oxide based nanoparticles. Advanced Therapeutics. 2018;1(3):1700033.
31. Gabrielyan L, Trchounian A. Antibacterial activities of transient metals nanoparticles and membranous mechanisms of action. World J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2019;35(10):162.