Zeta Potential Beyond Materials Science: Applications to Bacterial Systems and the characterization of Novel Antimicrobials

ANIKE P.V., FERRERYRA MILLAR; ESPECHE, JUAN CARLOS; MATURANA, PATRICIA; ANDREA C. CUTRÓ; HOLLMANN, AXEL

Santiago del Estero

Encuentro; ? IX Encuentro de Física y Química de Superficies y I Encuentro de Biología de Superficies; 2022

The zeta potential technique may be considered an indirect tool to estimate the surface potential of bacteria, aphysical characteristic that is key to maintaining optimal cell function. For this reason, targeting the bacterial surface isof paramount interest in the development of new antimicrobials. Surface-acting agents have been found to display aremarkable bactericidal effect and have simultaneously revealed a low tendency to trigger resistance. Changes in thebacterial surface as a result of various processes can also be followed by Zeta Potential measurements. However, dueto the complexity of the bacterial surface, some considerations regarding the assessment of Zeta Potential must betaken into account. In our laboratory, we applied successfully zeta potential measurements to assess antimicrobial-induced changes in the bacterial surface. We correlate the changes observed on the zeta potential values induces bydifferent antimicrobial compounds (peptides, nanoparticles, and essential oils) to those related to the interaction ofthe agent with different components of the cell envelope, membrane permeabilization, and loss of viability.Our results, confirm that despite the complexity of studying surface charges in living organisms, this technique hasenormous potential for assessing the interactions of many novel antimicrobial compounds with bacteria, and itprovides information about their effects on cells. These advantages, together with advanced instruments to measureZeta potential in an easy, fast, and economic way, underline that it is feasible to directly apply this technique tobacterial systems.