Literature Review in the Use of Nanoparticle Formulations of Silver (Ag), Gold (Au), and Zinc (Zn) as Anti-Infective Agents William Evans, Sherlie Llorens, Austin Sack and Michael A. Spies, PhD University of Iowa College of Pharmacy Background Methods Conclusion Pathogen resistance to common antimicrobial therapies has increased in recent years Increased resistance could lead to ineffective treatments, persistent infections, and an increase in spread of harmful infections Metal nanoparticles have shown some efficacy in the eradication of certain bacteria Nanoparticles, therefore, have potential to be used as a therapeutic alternative to antimicrobial agents This area of research has historically been restricted by significant gaps in knowledge Metal nanoparticles are a promising alternative to commonly prescribed antimicrobials​ The biodistribution and pharmacokinetics is largely dependent on the nanomaterial Gaps in knowledge exist which must be understood before therapeutic formulations can be advanced​ This project has allowed us to use information gathered from several different studies in the past five years to compare different bioactivities of three metals: silver, gold, and zinc Results Silver Mechanism of action Applications Bacterial Activity against: Contact killing E. coli, S. aureus​, S. mutans​, S. epidermis Ion-dependent Real world applications: Toxicity Wound healing, artificial joint replacements and surgery infection prophylaxis Argyria and​ Argyrosis – (skin and eye toxicity)​ Future Applications Objectives Once the bioactivities of these metals are better understood, advanced therapeutic formulations will be developed The societal and environmental implications, as well as the effects within the human body, must be considered as the formulations advance Promising fields for the application of nanoparticles exist in diagnostics and individualized medicine Gold Applications Mechanism of action Bacterial Activity against: E. coli, S. aureus​, S. epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella typhi Prevention of ATPase activities Inhibition of ribosome subunit binding of tRNA Real world applications: Toxicity Targeted therapy for multidrug resistant bacteria, and thermal ablation therapy Production of ROS The purpose of this study was to review literature pertaining to the use of metal nanoparticles to treat bacterial infections Goals of project Understand the bioactivities of three metals: silver, gold and zinc Complete a literature review for each of the three metals Organize and compare results of selected articles Zinc​ Mechanism of action​ Applications:​ Production of radical oxygen species and Zn2+ ions​ Bacterial Activity against:​ Electrostatic interactions with cell​ wall E. coli, S. aureus, S. epidermidis,​ Toxicity​ Real world applications:​ Gastrointestinal complications​ Wound dressings, hydrogels and prosthetic coatings​ ​