Characterization of antibacterial nanoparticles from the scallop, Ptinopecten yessoensis.

To develop a new drug delivery system, antibacterial 50-900 nm nanoparticles of shell and internal organs from scallops collected off Huksan-Island, Korea, were prepared by dry grind technology respectively. The diameters, identities, and conformations of the scallop shell and internal organ particles were determined with a particle-size analyzer and by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy. The antibacterial properties of the nanoparticles from scallop shell were investigated in the absence and the presence of scallop-shell extract. Bacterial growth was reduced with the supernatant of the nanoparticle scallop-shell extract. Also, the nanoparticles from scallop shell were much more effective as a skin softener than was powder. These facts provide us with guidelines for the study of the size-dependent properties of functional materials as well as for further applications to drug delivery systems (DDSs) and cosmetic raw materials.