Abstract
This study was focused on the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles and to couple them with naturally occurring and synthetic heterocyclic compounds. These nanoparticles are known to have antimicrobial properties among others. Metallic nanoparticles were successfully synthesised and capped with heterocycles. The synthesised nanoparticles were characterised using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrum, dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscope- energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-eds), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). The characterization techniques confirmed that synthesised nanoparticles were stable and within the nanometre range. Thereafter, the synthesised nanoparticles capped with heterocyclic compounds were tested for antibacterial activity against Gram positive bacteria. Results obtained revealed that the compounds being tested successfully killed gram-positive bacteria. Mycobacterium smegmatis demonstrated the strongest resistance to tested compounds. Aridanin performed well as a natural heterocyclic molecule, whereas FDM26 (2-Imino- 4-(4-fluorophenyl)-2H-1,3-thiazino [3,2-a] benzimidazole) performed best among synthetic compounds. Overall, the results show that metallic nanoparticles coupled with heterocyclic compounds can potentially kill gram positive bacteria, even those labelled resistant.
Keywords: Bacterial infections, antibacterial resistance, metallic nanoparticles, and heterocyclic compounds.