Silver nanoparticles are experimentally shown to inhibit autotrophic nitrifying bacterial growth (86±3%) more than Ag ions (42±7%) or AgCl colloids (46±4%). Silver nanoparticle-inhibited heterotrophic growth (55±8%) in Escherichia coli is best observed at lower concentrations, between 1.0 uM and 4.2 uM. This is less than Ag ions (~100%), but greater than AgCl colloids (66±6%). The actual cause of these results is undetermined as growth conditions and cell properties differ between nitrifying bacteria and heterotrophic E. coli. Studies conducted in natural lake environments show less response from bacterioplankton than in laboratory environments when exposed to similar concentrations of silver nanoparticles. This may be due to the binding of free Ag ions to dissolved organic matter in lake environments, rendering the Ag unavailable.
Within toothpaste, Ag ions have been shown to have a stronger effect on gram-negative bacteria than on gram-positive bacteria. In comparison to other nanoparticles, such as gold, silver tends to have a broader antimicrobial effect, which is another reason why it is incorporated into so many products. Ag is less effective on gram-positive bacteria due to the thick layer of peptidoglycan around them that gram-negative species lack. Approximately half of the peptidoglycan wall is composed of teichoic acids linked by phosphodiester bonds, which results in an overall negative charge in the peptidoglycan layer. This negative charge may trap the positive Ag and prevent them from entering the cell and disrupting the flow of electrons.