Fig. 4: Multi-target mode of action of silver suppresses its antibiotic selection effect against S. aureus.

a Diagram showing that Ag⁺ kills S. aureus by targeting multiple essential pathways. b Mutation frequencies of S. aureus Newman after treatment of Ag⁺, AgNP, and different antibiotics at the concentration of 2×MIC (n = 3). c MIC of Ag⁺ and AgNP against S. aureus Newman during passage for 16 times (n = 3). d LC-GE-ICP-MS profiles of Ag⁺-binding proteins from S. aureus-P16. e Relative content of Ag in Ag⁺-binding proteins resolved from S. aureus-P16. All experiments were performed in three biological replicates. Mean value of three replicates is shown and error bars indicate ±SEM (b).