# DNA-Templated Silver Nanoclusters Demonstrate Potent Antimicrobial Activity Against the Clinically Relevant Pathogens, Neisseria meningitidis and Streptococcus pneumoniae

## TL;DR

DNA-templated silver nanoclusters show strong antimicrobial effects against bacteria causing meningitis without harming brain cells.

## Contribution

DNA-templated silver nanoclusters are introduced as a new antimicrobial strategy for treating meningitis.

## Key findings

- AgNCs templated on fibrous hairpin structures showed higher antimicrobial activity than single hairpins.
- AgNCs reduced bacterial survival and inflammation in microglia without cytotoxicity.
- AgNCs maintained stable properties and effectiveness at low silver concentrations.

## Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance
is growing among the causative agents
of bacterial meningitis, Neisseria meningitidis and Streptococcus pneumoniae, which trigger detrimental neuroinflammatory
responses within the central nervous system. Here, we evaluated the
antimicrobial potential of DNA-templated and stabilized silver nanoclusters
(AgNCs). AgNCs were templated on a single hairpin (HP) or fibrous
hairpin structures (HP-F). HP-F provided higher local concentrations
of AgNCs, when compared to HP, and exhibited stable physicochemical
properties and potent antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, at low
silver concentrations, AgNCs restricted bacterial survival and reduced
inflammatory responses in microglia without causing cytotoxicity,
supporting further development of AgNCs as therapeutics for meningitis.