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Porphyrin-silica microparticle conjugates as an efficient tool for the photosensitised disinfection of water contaminated by bacterial pathogens

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Abstract

A tetracationic meso-substituted amphiphilic porphyrin (abbreviated as C14) was encapsulated within silica microparticles to yield a conjugate with a mean particle diameter of ca. 0.9 μm. The conjugate displayed a complete stability for at least 3 months when suspended in a neutral aqueous medium. The encapsulated C14 underwent a limited photobleaching when the conjugate was exposed to full spectrum visible light. Illumination of the silica microparticle-bound C14 by visible light resulted in the generation of singlet oxygen and induced a decrease in the survival of 4 log for a 20 min irradiation of the Gram-positive bacterium meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and a 30 min irradiation of the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli). Under identical experimental conditions photoexcited free C14 caused a decrease in viability of 5 log for MRSA and 6 log for E. coli. When the conjugate loaded with 12 μM C14 was added to a water sample contaminated with MRSA (108 cells per ml) a tight association of the bacterial cells with the silica microparticle-porphyrin system was achieved. Subsequent illumination of the conjugate with visible light (30 min, 100 mW cm−2) caused a 3 log reduction in the population of MRSA cells in the water sample. Importantly, the conjugate was readily recovered by filtration of the aqueous suspension and shown to maintain a high antibacterial photoactivity when introduced into a new MRSA-contaminated medium and irradiated.

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Magaraggia, M., Jori, G., Soncin, M. et al. Porphyrin-silica microparticle conjugates as an efficient tool for the photosensitised disinfection of water contaminated by bacterial pathogens. Photochem Photobiol Sci 12, 2170–2176 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1039/c3pp50282a

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/c3pp50282a

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