Design of Active Heterocycle-Modified Triangular Silver Nanoprisms: Antioxidants and Antibacterial Agents Against Staphylococcus aureus

This study aims to design new functional targeted nanomedicines containing both imidazole (1) and thiazole derivatives. Hence, a new heterocyclic compound, namely, 2-((1-methyl-4-nitro-1H-imidazol-5-yl)thio)-4-phenylthiazole (3) was synthesized by the combination of 5-chloro-1-methyl-4-nitro-1H-imidazole (1) and 4-phenylthiazole-2-thiol (2) for the first time in this study. Additionally, silver nanoprisms (Ag) were synthesized, and their surface was modified with compounds (1–3). The effect of the modifying groups on the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of silver nanoprisms was studied by examining the antibacterial and antioxidant properties of nanoconjugates (1–3-Ag) and the unmodified silver nanoprisms (Ag). The antimicrobial activities of the studied agents were investigated using DPPH scavenging and growth curve assays. In contrast, their antioxidant properties were studied by applying DPPH radical scavenging and reducing power assays. Nanoconjugates (1-Ag and 3-Ag) inhibited the Staphylococcus aureus growth at the MIC concentration, and the highest antibacterial activity was obtained for nanoconjugate (1-Ag) against S. aureus (54.8 ± 0.18 µg/mL). The silver nanoprisms exhibited much higher antioxidant activities after modification with compounds (1–3). Nanoconjugate (3-Ag) can be considered an efficient multidisciplinary bioagent owing to the refining influence of imidazole and thiazole groups playing vital roles in the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of the resultant nanoconjugates, respectively.