AN OVERVIEW ON ZINC-OXIDE NANOPARTICLES AS NOVEL DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM Authors: Jeremiah I And Damodharan N*
ABSTRACT
zinc oxide nanoparticles are highly effective against gram-positive bacteria. Zinc oxide is used as
an antimicrobial substance that fulfills all the criteria required for an element to fit human
consumption. They possess the ability to destroy microbes and safeguard the health of humans.
Among all the metal oxide nanoparticles that have been analyzed, the nanoparticles of zinc oxide
have been found to show very high toxicity against microbes. Their mechanism of action is
degradation or breakdown of cell walls and accumulation in the cell membrane. Zinc oxide alters
the metabolism of the bacterial cell, causing death of bacteria. The zinc oxide nanomaterial
releases free reactive oxygen radical species, which are toxic to bacteria or microorganisms. Zinc
oxide nanoparticles are site or target-specific so that unwanted toxicity to the host cell can be
prevented. This causes the synergistic antimicrobial effect. Now antibiotics are used in
combination with zinc oxide nanoparticles for high efficacy and bio-distribution, such as
Azithromycin, Ciprofloxacin, Imipenem, Ceftriaxone, Gentamicin, Oxacillin, Ampicillin,
Sulbactam, Oxytetracycline, and Chloramphenicol. From the literature study conducted, we infer
that high efficiency is seen in combining antibiotic drugs with zinc oxide nanoparticles of various
sizes and morphology. Furthermore, experiments on particle size, morphology, concentration, and
surface modification can effectively control severe bacterial infection.
Keywords: Zinc oxide, Nanoparticles, Sol-gel method; Drug delivery, Target-specific Publication date: 01/01/2023 https://ijbpas.com/pdf/2023/January/MS_IJBPAS_2023_6794.pdfDownload PDFhttps://doi.org/10.31032/IJBPAS/2023/12.1.6794