Assignment
Background Information: The delivery of antibiotics, or antimicrobials has been extensively studied. Nanoparticles provide a promising alternative to treating infections due to their small size, and variety of applications in the study of microbial medicine. Your job is apply what you have learned in lecture to something you have not seen before. It is necessary to use the knowledge you have to begin or continue to interpret scientific research articles, particularly in the field of microbiology.
Nanoparticles are transport vehicles that deliver ions (at least in the research article I provided). The article provided used two types of CuO (copper oxide nanoparticles) as an antimicrobial: CuO nanosheets (flat structures that contain copper oxide), vs. CuO nanospheres (spherical structures containing copper oxide). Scientists wanted to determine if there was one structure, or if both were effective as a vehicle in delivering copper ions, and if it is an effective antimicrobial towards E. coli, B. subtilus, P. vulgaris, and M. luteous. Word limit of maximum 40 words per answer. Be concise with your answers. Do not copy the wording from the article, or your textbook.
1. Before you can begin to interpret figures from the research article attached, you must gather information first by answering questions a-c below. Once you have done this, then questions d & e can be answered.
a. Indicate which of the bacterial species listed are gram-positive and gram-negative.
b. What is the difference between antimicrobials and antibiotics? You can perform a Google search to find the answer.
c. What are differences seen in cell wall composition between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria? Use your textbook and lecture notes.
d. In Figure 2, what is the optical density from each of the bacterial species? Over a period of time what does this tell you about bacterial growth from each species when exposed to CuO nanosheet (Panel A), and CuO nanospherical (Panel B)? Are gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria used in this study affected similarly or different? If so, how do you know based on Figure 2?
e. One method scientists use to determine if a drug-delivery system is effective is by measuring the amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated. ROS are considered free radicals that can harm cells, and their likelihood for survival. Please interpret Figure 3, Panel A & B.
f. What were the findings from Figure 5? What could be occurring at the cell wall for gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria?
g. Based on the evidence from Figures 2, 3, and 5., which nanoparticle delivery system was most effective as an antimicrobial?