Airborne fungi are widely distributed in our natural environment. Exposure to fungi has been reported to cause serious health problems, such as asthma. Recently, there has been increased attention toward the influence of the prevalence of fungi present indoors on the risk factors associated with asthma. Nanoparticles (NPs) have recently emerged as a novel approach to biological research against a number of different organisms, including bacteria, yeast, and fungi. It is known to have adverse effects on the survival and growth of various organisms, including bacteria, algae, cultured cells, and animals. In particular, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been used in numerous commercial products. Therefore, AgNPs are more likely to be exposed to humans and the environment. Many studies have focused on the inhibition effects of AgNPs or of the ions released from AgNPs. However, the interaction mechanism for inhibition activity of AgNPs on airborne fungi is not fully understood. In this study, the inhibition effects of AgNPs and silver (Ag) ions on toxic airborne fungi were evaluated. We have synthesized AgNPs using sodium citrate as reducing agent. Physicochemical properties of AgNPs are shown by dynamic light scattering (DLS), Zeta-potential, and transmission electron microscope (TEM). We also investigated the inhibition mechanism of AgNPs on toxic airborne fungi.

Inhibition effects of silver nanoparticles and ions on toxic airborne fungi

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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