Abstract

Antibacterial Efficacy of Fe doped ZnO nanoparticles and Cinnamon Essential Oil against Multidrug Resistant Pathogens (A Review)

Authors: M. Musa Mubashar, Shoaib Shafqat, Munawar Ali, Zahid Shahbaz and Shahid Shahbaz

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.71081/cvj/2025.054

Abstract
The emergence of increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) compels the development of new antibacterial strategies at a timely manner. In this review, the antibacterial activity of iron-doped zinc oxide (Fe-doped ZnO) nanoparticles and cinnamon essential oil (CEO) mixture was investigated and the mechanism of action between two clinically indicative pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positive bacterium) and Escherichia coli (Gram negative bacterium). This article is based solely on peer-reviewed academic research articles that describe synthesis and characterization of each agent, or any antibacterial activity including minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC). The major focus is given to explain their different mechanism of actions including the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), disruption of the cell membrane and suppression of metabolic pathways. Moreover, there is also a discussion on whether such antibacterial components may have a synergistic interaction by combination and how the combination may enhance antibacterial actions, and neurotrophic biofilm development in countering bacterial resistance through a multi-pronged approach. This review also discusses the relative efficacy of these agents, benefit of their use with AMR, the current difficulty of their use with AMR and the toxicity and the necessity that further in vivo experimentation and standardization is required. The significance of this review is demonstrated by the near miraculous antibacterial potential of these new components and possible alternatives to traditional antibiotics in the therapeutic approach to bacterial infections.

Keywords: Antibacterial Mechanisms; Antimicrobial Resistance; Escherichia coli; Iron-Doped Zinc Oxide Cinnamon Essential Oil Staphylococcus aureus; Nanoparticles