Effect of carbenicillin on ethylene inhibition and antibacterial properties of silver nitrate

Color variations observed in tissue culture media containing silver nitrate prompted a series of experiments aimed at determining what ingredients were involved and whether their interaction impacted tissue culture systems. The classical formation of a precipitate between silver and the halides iodine and chloride was noted. In addition, an interaction was found between silver nitrate and carbenicillin, a common antibiotic used to control bacterial growth in culture after Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Silver nitrate is used in tissue culture to block the ethylene response of plant tissue and to inhibit bacterial growth in culture. The silver in silver nitrate and carbenicillin appeared to react less in the dark but strongly interacted when exposed to light. At concentrations higher than 132.1 μM, carbenicillin reacted with silver to eliminate the antimicrobial activity of the silver. Depending on the plant species tested and the culture system used, the interaction of silver and carbenicillin in the light had variable effects on the ethylene-blocking activity of silver.