Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Silver Nanoparticle-Decorated Quercetin Antibacterial Molecular Mechanism

Facile and simple method is developed to synthesize silver-nanoparticle-decorated quercetin nanoparticles (QA NPs). Modification suggests that synergistic quercetin (Qe) improves the antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). Characterization experiment indicates that QA NPs have a diameter of approximately 10 nm. QA NPs show highly effective antibacterial activities against drug-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). We explore antibacterial mechanisms using S. aureus and E. coli treated with QA NPs. Through morphological changes in E. coli and S. aureus, mechanisms are examined for bacterial damage caused by particulate matter from local dissociation of silver ion and Qe from QA NPs trapped inside membranes. Moreover, we note that gene expression profiling methods, such as RNA sequencing, can be used to predict discover mechanisms of toxicity of QA NPs. Gene ontology (GO) assay analyses demonstrate the molecular mechanism of the antibacterial effect of QA NPs. Regarding cellular component ontology, “cell wall organization or biogenesis” (GO: 0071554) and “cell wall macromolecule metabolic process” (GO: 0044036) are the most represented categories. The present study reports that transcriptome analysis of the mechanism offers novel insights into the molecular mechanism of antibacterial assays.