Effects of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles on Seedling Growth of <i>Vigna radiata</i> and Glycolytic Metabolism in <i>Bacillus coagulans</i>

Rising abiotic and antibiotic stresses in soil ecosystems and the instability of rhizospheric microbial communities pose a growing challenge to the development of resilient agricultural systems. This study explores the independent impact of mesoporous silica nanoparticles, MCM41 and MCM48 on the soil probiotic Bacillus coagulans and on the growth of Vigna radiata (mung bean). Both nanoparticles improved seedling development, with the greatest increases seen at particular doses: fresh weight increased to 0.37 ± 0.02 g with MCM41 at 1 ppm, and rootlet number increased to 56.61 ± 23.89 with MCM41 at 0.1 ppm and 56.46 ± 30.29 with MCM48 at 1 ppm (p < 0.0001), with no signs of phytotoxicity. Simultaneously, B. coagulans treated with MCM41 (1 ppm) and MCM48 (0.1 ppm) showed an increase in OD600 (0.176 and 0.183 respectively) and elevated ATP levels (from 394 to 3060 and 2813 nmol/mL, respectively), indicating enhanced glycolytic activity. Additionally, both nanoparticles quadrupled the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ampicillin, boosting bacterial resistance to ampicillin exposure through reversible, nongenetic effects without producing stable resistance traits or antibiotic resistance genes which could be useful in soil remediation purpose. Although these two systems were studied separately, the trends observed across both plant and microbial models suggest the future investigation into integrated plant-microbe-nanoparticle interactions.