Antifungal properties

Researchers from Kyungpook National University, Korea, found that silver nanoparticles show potent activity against Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Candida species of fungi, comparable to that of amphotericin B, and superior to that of fluconazole.

Berger and colleagues investigated the susceptibility of yeast to positively charged silver ions generated by low levels of direct current. Ionic silver exhibited inhibitory and fungicidal properties in tests made on several species of Candida and one species of Torulopsis. Growth was inhibited in all isolates by concentrations between 0.5 and 4.7 µg/ml, and silver exhibited fungicidal properties at concentrations as low as 1.9 µg/ml. Both inhibitory and fungicidal concentrations were lower than reported for other silver compounds.

Kim KJ, Sung WS, Moon SK, Choi JS, Kim JG, Lee DG. Antifungal effect of silver nanoparticles on dermatophytes. J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2008 Aug;18(8):1482-4.

Berger TJ, Spadaro JA, Bierman R, Chapin SE. Becker RO. Antifungal properties of electrically generated metallic ions. Antimicrob Agents and Chemother. 1976; 10:856-860.