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Surface-modified sulfur nanoparticles: an effective antifungal agent against Aspergillus niger and Fusarium oxysporum

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Abstract

Surface-modified sulfur nanoparticles (SNPs) of two different sizes were prepared via a modified liquid-phase precipitation method, using sodium polysulfide and ammonium polysulfide as starting material and polyethylene glycol-400 (PEG-400) as the surface stabilizing agent. Surface topology, size distribution, surface modification of SNPs with PEG-400, quantitative analysis for the presence of sulfur in nanoformulations, and thermal stability of SNPs were determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) plus high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. A simultaneous study with micron-sized sulfur (S0) and SNPs was carried out to evaluate their fungicidal efficacy against Aspergillus niger and Fusarium oxysporum in terms of radial growth, sporulation, ultrastructural modifications, and phospholipid content of the fungal strains using a modified poisoned food technique, spore-germination slide bioassay, environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), and spectrometry. SNPs expressed promising inhibitory effect on fungal growth and sporulation and also significantly reduced phospholipid content.

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Acknowledgments

Authors are grateful to NAIP-ICAR-World Bank (Comp-4/C3004/2008-09; PI: A. Goswami, Indian Statistical Institute) & Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Govt. of India (grant number: BT/PR9050/NNT/28/21/2007 & BT/PR8931/NNT/28/07/2007) and Indian Statistical Institute plan project for 2008–2011 for their generous financial support. Authors are grateful to Mr. Arkajyoti Bhattacharya for statistical analyses. Authors would like to thank Prof. Ratan Lal Brahmachary and Mrs. Indrani Roy for helpful discussions on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agricultural & Ecological Research Unit, Biological Sciences Division, Indian statistical Institute, 203 B. T. Road, Kolkata, 700108, India

    Samrat Roy Choudhury, Saheli Pradhan & Arunava Goswami

  2. Department of Chemical Technology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, 700009, India

    Mahua Ghosh & Moumita Pal

  3. Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, 7000032, India

    Amrita Mandal & Dipankar Chakravorty

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  1. Samrat Roy Choudhury
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  2. Mahua Ghosh
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Correspondence to Arunava Goswami.

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Roy Choudhury, S., Ghosh, M., Mandal, A. et al. Surface-modified sulfur nanoparticles: an effective antifungal agent against Aspergillus niger and Fusarium oxysporum . Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 90, 733–743 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-011-3142-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-011-3142-5

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