| Summary: | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Silver nanoparticles (AgNps) have attracted much interest in biomedical engineering, since they have excellent antimicrobial properties. Therefore, AgNps have often been considered for incorporation into medical products for skin pathologies to reduce the risk of contamination. This study aims at evaluating the antimicrobial effectiveness of AgNps stabilized by pluronic™ F68 associated with other polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>AgNps antimicrobial activity was evaluated using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. The action spectrum was evaluated for different polymers associated with pluronic™ F68 against the gram negative bacteria <it>P. aeuroginosa</it> and <it>E. coli</it> and the gram positive bacteria <it>S. Aureus.</it></p> <p>Results</p> <p>AgNps stabilized with PVP or PVA and co-stabilized with pluronic™ F68 are effective against <it>E. coli</it> and <it>P. aeruginosa</it> microorganisms, with MIC values as low as 0.78% of the concentration of the original AgNps dispersion. The antimicrobial action against <it>S. aureus</it> is poor, with MIC values not lower than 25%.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>AgNps stabilized by different polymeric systems have shown improved antimicrobial activity against gram-negative microorganisms in comparison to unstabilized AgNps. Co-stabilization with the bioactive copolymer pluronic™ F68 has further enhanced the antimicrobial effectiveness against both microorganisms. A poor effectiveness has been found against the gram-positive <it>S. aureus</it> microorganism. Future assays are being delineated targeting possible therapeutic applications.</p>
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