Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Synthesis And Characterization Of Hemocompatible Antibiotic Nanoparticles, Elvin Muhindo Walemba

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a causative agent of periodontal disease and a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Novel treatment of periodontal disease using nanomaterials can supplement or replace the use of antibiotics and mechanical debridement. Nanomaterials can be optimized for effectiveness and specificity and minimum toxicity. Synthesized Ag nanoparticles stabilized in Pluronic F127 were used to produce bimetallic core/shell Ag/Au nanoparticles with optimized Ag+ release and reduced toxicity. We tested the F127-stabilized nanoparticles for their antimicrobial activity and hemocompatibility in planktonic bacteria and citrated whole blood, respectively. Both Ag and Ag/Au bimetallic nanoparticles inhibited P. gingivalis W83 growth. We then evaluated …