Abstract
Nanoparticles have been recognized as a promising alternative to overcome problems associated with antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. In the current study, the combination of TiO2 nanoparticles with cardamom essential oil (CEO) was assessed for its antibacterial effects. First, TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized via sol-gel route and subjected to various physico-chemical characterizations; structural using both X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, morphological by scanning electron microscopy and elemental analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The synthesized nanoparticles were, then, loaded with natural CEO to form the conjugate CEO@TiO2. The effectiveness of the conjugate CEO@TiO2 was assessed against a standard test strain as well as against two clinical isolates using ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry measurements. The results demonstrate that CEO@TiO2 conjugates exhibit potent antibacterial activity against all the tested bacteria than CEO or TiO2 nanoparticles alone. An attempt to explain the mechanism of action of the devised antibacterial agent was undertaken based on confocal microscopy observations. Overall, this proof-of-concept antibacterial system may have important implications for the development of numerous therapeutic, environmental and food industry applications.
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