Zinc oxide nanoparticles as a new approach to eradicate the biofilm of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from clinical samples

Background: Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles are particularly notable in the biomedical field, especially for antimicrobial applications, due to their beneficial properties. This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial activity of ZnO nanoparticles against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) isolated from clinical samples. Methods: A microdilution test was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the synthesized against P. aeruginosa. Additionally, the impact of the zinc oxide nanocomposite on the expression of biofilm-related genes, including algD, lecA, and lecB, was measured using the Real-Time PCR method. Results: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the ZnO nanocomposite against P. aeruginosa was found to be 625 µg/ml. At half the MIC concentration, ZnO nanoparticles demonstrated a 54% inhibition of biofilm formation. The expression levels of the algD, lecA, and lecB genes were reduced by 3.3 (p < 0.001), 1.8 (p < 0.05), and 3.1 folds (p < 0.05), respectively. Conclusion: Overall, ZnO nanoparticles, by reducing the expression levels of the algD, LecA, and LecB genes in P. aeruginosa, can be utilized as a novel therapeutic approach to improve and treat infection-related biofilms.