Microbicidal plant-AgNP biocompounds with “smart” triiodides

Multi-drug resistant ESKAPE pathogens are listed by WHO as threat to mankind. These microorganisms developed resistance mechanisms against some commonly used antimicrobials and drugs. The results are increased cost and duration of treatment in health care settings, even failure, rising morbidity and mortality rates. New antimicrobial agents are needed to ensure sustaining quality of life for future generations. Such antimicrobials can be a combination of nanotechnology and plant constituents. Silver nanoparticles demonstrated already in many investigations unique antimicrobial properties during the last decade. Plants have unique mechanisms of survival since they exist on earth. They contain multiple biocompounds, which exert antimicrobial activites due to their synergistic actions. This knowledge can be used for alternative pathways to fight pathogens. We investigated the antimicrobial activities of well-known cinnamomum zeylanicum (Cinn) with iodine (I₂), stabilized with polyvinypyrrolidone and compared the results with their trans-cinnamic acid (TCA) equivalents. The compounds were tested against five microbial strains by agar-well and disc-diffusion methods on discs and polyglycolic acid (PGA) sutures. The title compounds were characterized by different analytical methods and showed excellent to intermediate inhibition of the tested pathogenic strains. Our compounds can be seen as alternative disinfectants and coating agents on surgical sutures in the prevention of surgical site infections.