Green-synthesized magnetic core-shell NiFe2O4@Ag nanoparticles enhance antibiotic efficacy against nosocomial pathogens

Abolfazl Barzegar; Somayyeh Ebrahimzadeh; Mehri Haeili; Yalda Shoghi; Alireza Ahmadi

doi:10.1016/j.bbrep.2025.102121

Green-synthesized magnetic core-shell NiFe₂O₄@Ag nanoparticles enhance antibiotic efficacy against nosocomial pathogens

Biochem Biophys Rep. 2025 Jul 1:43:102121. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2025.102121. eCollection 2025 Sep.

Authors

Abolfazl Barzegar^{1

2

3}, Somayyeh Ebrahimzadeh¹, Mehri Haeili¹, Yalda Shoghi¹, Alireza Ahmadi¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.
² Molecular Medicine Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
³ Research Center of Biosciences and Biotechnology (RCBB), University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.

Abstract

Nosocomial infections pose a significant threat to patient health and healthcare systems globally. This study explores the synergistic potential of green-synthesized NiFe₂O₄@Ag core-shell nanoparticles in enhancing the efficacy of conventional antibiotics against multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogens. The NiFe₂O₄@Ag nanoparticles were synthesized using a green method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), revealing particle sizes of 36.4 nm for NiFe₂O₄ and 51.54 nm for NiFe₂O₄@Ag. The antibacterial activity of these nanoparticles was evaluated alone and in combination with antibiotics-ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol-against five antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains associated with nosocomial infections, including Gram-negative Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, as well as Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus. NiFe₂O₄@Ag nanoparticles exhibited potent antimicrobial activity, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 256-512 mg/L). Notably, the combination of NiFe₂O₄@Ag nanoparticles with chloramphenicol and ciprofloxacin resulted in fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) values ranging from 0.25 to 0.75, indicating significant synergistic or additive effects, against most of tested gram-negative pathogens. While combination of NiFe₂O₄@Ag with ciprofloxacin exhibited the strongest enhancement, no synergistic effects were observed using NiFe₂O₄@Ag nanoparticles and tetracycline combinations for most tested pathogens (except for E. coli). The core-shell structure of NiFe₂O₄@Ag nanoparticles effectively integrates the magnetic properties of NiFe₂O₄ with the antimicrobial activity of silver, enabling potential magnetic separation and reducing environmental impact. Additionally, the nanoparticles exhibited low cytotoxicity in HFF-2 cells, suggesting good biocompatibility. These findings highlight the potential of NiFe₂O₄@Ag nanoparticles as a promising therapeutic strategy to combat multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogens.

Keywords: Antibacterial activity; Core-shell nanoparticles; Green nano-chemistry; Magnetic nanoparticles; NiFe2O4@Ag; Nosocomial pathogens; Synergistic effects.