Effects of Silver Nanoparticles on the Growth of L. Casei

Abstract

The current study presents the investigation of the effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) on the growth of probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus casei. The study was aimed to find out the growth behavior of L. casei in the presence of different AgNPs concentrations. It was observed from our investigation that at low concentrations of AgNP (concentration< 0.3mg/ml), AgNP exhibited no antibacterial effect on L .casei, moreover, it enhanced the growth of L .casei. However, when AgNP was applied at a concentration of 0.3 mg/ml and above, it exhibited significant antibacterial effect on the bacteria by inhibiting its growth. Since, L. casei is a probiotic and helps in reducing cholesterol and keeping the heart healthy, the fact that low concentration of AgNP can accelerate L. casei growth can be exploited to tackle the level of cholesterol and other heart related problems in humans.