EVALUATION OF ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIBIOFILM ACTIVITY OF BACTERIOCIN-FUSED ZINC OXIDE NANOPARTICLE AGAINST URINARY TRACT INFECTION PATHOGEN

Objective: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) develop as common bacterial infections that affect patients in both community and healthcare environments, yet these infections are becoming resistant to all existing treatment methods. Bacterial biofilms are the main reason multiple infections continue to occur because they lead to higher resistance against essential medical treatments. The research requires the development of new methods together with new strategies that use antimicrobial agents to inhibit their production. This study mainly focuses on the combined effects of bacteriocin-like peptides with zinc oxide nanoparticles (NPs), which were employed against uropathogens. Methods: Uropathogens were obtained from the microbial type culture collection (MTCC) culture collection (MTCC), India. Bacteriocin was produced using Lactobacillus casei and subsequently dialyzed after being partially purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation. The bacteriocin showed stability between 20°C and 50°C, maintained its active state between pH 3 and pH 6, and became inactive when exposed to the proteolytic enzyme papain. Then, it was incorporated with zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs synthesized by the chemical precipitation method. The synthesized NPs were characterized through ultraviolet-visible, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Scanning electron microscope. Then, both combined and individual effects were tested against UTI pathogens through the agar-well diffusion method, and antibiofilm activity. Results: The antibacterial properties of bacteriocin and ZnO NPs showed effectiveness against the uropathogen species that were examined. The combined treatment showed better antibacterial effects, together with stronger antibiofilm protection than the individual treatments. The combination of bacteriocin and ZnO NPs produced a synergistic effect, which inhibited UTI pathogen growth together with their ability to form biofilms. Conclusion: This study concludes that the bacteriocin-like peptides combined with ZnO NPs produce stronger antibacterial effects and better biofilm resistance against uropathogenic bacteria. The synergistic approach provides a potential new treatment method that effectively controls biofilm-related UTIs while treating antibiotic-resistant bacteria.