A SENNA PODOCARPA AND TITANIUM FERRITE NANOPARTICLE COMPLEX ELICITS ACTIVITY AGAINST FOUR ORAL BIOFILM-PRODUCING BACTERIAL ISOLATES

Abstract

The emergence of antimicrobial resistant strains of oral cavity residence bacterial due to their ability to form biofilms is a serious global threat to healthcare. The situation has become worrisome among children population because of the undeterred evolutionary mechanisms of invasion of the emerging strains. To address this problem, this study conducted a genomic identification of oral cavity sourced bacterial among school children in selected two states in Nigeria and further developed a Senna podocarpa stem bark aqueous extract incorporated titanium ferrite (TiFe₂O₄@SPSBAE) as antimicrobial for mitigation. Only 4 among the sequenced isolated strains (Pseudomonas stutzeri and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia) were susceptible to the actions of a TiFe₂O₄@SPSBAE. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of TiFe₂O₄@SPSBAE revealed a regularly patterned heterogeneous surface while and the X-ray diffraction showed a crystallite size that is < 26 nm. The antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) includes detected were aph(6), smeF, blaL2, blaL1, emrB, emrA, emrC, qnrD1  and sul2. These ARGs suggest resistance to antibiotics belonging to aminoglycoside, beta-lactam, carbapenem, efflux, quinolone and sulfonamide subclasses. Biofilm-producing genes found in the genomes of the isolates are algC and rpoS. Interestingly, the biochemical and histology assays showed non-toxic effects of TiFe₂O₄@SPSBAE at the effective dose used. The present results confirmed the presence of AMR genes among the isolates obtained from the children population and further suggests the chemotherapeutic potential of TiFe₂O₄@SPSBAE as a promising agent for combating oral cavity sourced AMR genes of pathogenic microbes.