Florfenicol-loaded tannic acid-chitosan iron oxide nanoparticles for enhanced efficacy against Salmonella Typhimurium

Abstract

Antimicrobial drug resistance caused by Salmonella (S.) Typhimurium is a noteworthy issue causing morbidity and mortality linked to potential outbreaks throughout the world. The current study aimed to synthesis chitosan, iron oxide nanoparticles (Ch-Fe₃O₄ NPs), tannic acid-Ch-Fe3O4 (T-Ch-Fe₃O₄) NPs for the loading of florfenicol, compare the antibacterial efficiency of the free florfenicol and the loaded one against florfenicol-resistant strains of S. Typhimurium. Also, the in-vitro bio-toxicity and viability effect of those materials were assessed. It was shown that florfenicol was successfully loaded onto the surface of tannic acid-Ch-Fe₃O₄ NPs. This was determined through measurement of hydrodynamic sizes and zeta potential (+0.120 ± 0.02, -0.372 ± 0.072 and +0.07 ± 0.03 mV for Ch-Fe₃O₄ NPs, T-Ch-Fe₃O₄ NPs, and Florfenicol NPs respectively) and confirmed by FT-IR analysis. Concerning the antibacterial effect, loading florfenicol with T-Ch-Fe₃O₄ NPs resulted in superior antibacterial efficacy against the resistant S. Typhimurium strain. This was evident by a decrease in the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) from 31.25 μg/ml for florfenicol to 15.62 μg/ml for the loaded florfenicol NPs. This finding suggests that florfenicol NPs possess enhanced antibacterial efficacy compared to the free drug, highlighting the potential of nanotechnology in addressing the challenge of antibiotic resistance.