Efficient elimination of multidrug-resistant bacteria using copper sulfide nanozymes anchored to graphene oxide nanosheets

• Published in: Nano research 2020-08, Vol.13 (8), p.2156-2164
• Main Authors: Wang, Wanshun, Li, Binglin, Yang, Huili, Lin, Zefeng, Chen, Lingling, Li, Zhan, Ge, Jiayuan, Zhang, Tao, Xia, Hong, Li, Lihua, Lu, Yao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Atomic/Molecular Structure and Spectra; Bacteria; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial infections; Biocompatibility; Biomedicine; Biotechnology; Cell adhesion & migration; Cell membranes; Cell migration; Chemistry and Materials Science; Collagen; Condensed Matter Physics; Copper; Copper sulfides; Cytology; Graphene; Hydrogen peroxide; Materials Science; Methicillin; Morphology; Multidrug resistance; Multidrug resistant organisms; Nanocomposites; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; Nanosheets; Nanotechnology; Peroxidase; Reactive oxygen species; Research Article; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus infections; Sulfides; Wound healing
• ISSN: 1998-0124; 1998-0000
• DOI: 10.1007/s12274-020-2824-7

Antibacterial nanomaterials have attracted growing interest for bacterial infection therapy. However, most nanomaterials eliminate bacteria either physically or chemically, which hampers their efficacy when dealing with multidrug-resistant bacteria. To overcome this, we integrated copper sulfide (CuS) nanoparticles with active graphene oxide nanosheets (GO NSs) to synthesize a superior nanocomposite (CuS/GO NC) that acts both physically and chemically on the bacteria. CuS/GO NC was produced using a facile hydrothermal method, whereby the CuS nanoparticles grew and were uniformly dispersed on the GO NSs in situ . We found that the CuS/GO NC possesses a unique needle-like morphology that physically damages the bacterial cell membrane. CuS/GO NC also exhibits high oxidase- and peroxidase-like activity, ensuring efficient generation of the reactive oxygen species •OH from H 2 O 2 , which kills bacteria chemically. These features endow the CuS/GO NC with excellent antibacterial capabilities to kill multidrug-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with only a single dose. Additionally, it was found that the CuS/GO NC accelerated the healing of infected wounds in vivo owing to its good biocompatibility as well as facilitation of cell migration and collagen secretion. This study provides a new strategy to combine the physical and chemical antibacterial modes of nanomaterials to develop more effective therapies to combat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.