Biofilms contribute to bacterial infection and drug resistance and are a serious threat to global human health. Antibacterial nanomaterials have attracted considerable attention, but the inhibition of biofilms remains a major challenge. Herein, we propose a nanohole-boosted electron transport (NBET) antibiofilm concept. Unlike known antibacterial mechanisms (e.g., reactive oxygen species production and cell membrane damage), nanoholes with atomic vacancies and biofilms serve as electronic donors and receptors, respectively, and thus boost the high electron transport capacity between nanomaterials and biofilms. Electron transport effectively destroys the critical components (proteins, intercellularly adhered polysaccharides and extracellular DNA) of biofilms, and the nanoholes also significantly downregulate the expression of genes related to biofilm formation. The anti-infection capacity is thoroughly verified both in vitro (human cells) and in vivo (rat ocular and mouse intestinal infection models), and the nanohole-enabled nanomaterials are found to be highly biocompatible. Importantly, compared with typical antibiotics, nanomaterials are nonresistant and thereby exhibit high potential for use in various applications. As a proof-of-principle demonstration, these findings hold promise for the use of NBET in treatments for pathogenic bacterial infection and antibiotic drug resistance.
Salty soil is a global problem that has adverse effects on plants. We demonstrate that bioself-assembled molybdenum–sulfur (Mo–S) crystals formed by the foliar application of MoCl5 and cysteine augment the photosynthesis of plants treated with 200 mM salt for 7 days by promoting Ca2+ signal transduction and free radical scavenging. Reductions in glutathione and phytochelatins were attributed to the biosynthesized Mo–S crystals. Plants embedded with the Mo–S crystals and exposed to salty soil exhibited carbon assimilation rates, photosynthesis rates (Fv/Fm), and electron transport rates (ETRs) that were increased by 40%, 63–173%, and 50–78%, respectively, compared with those of plants without Mo–S crystals. Increased compatible osmolyte levels and decreased levels of oxidative damage, stomatal conductance (0.63–0.42 mmol m2 s–1), and transpiration (22.9–15.3 mmol m2 s–1), free radical scavenging, and calcium-dependent protein kinase, and Ca2+ signaling pathway activation were evidenced by transcriptomics and metabolomics. The bioself-assembled crystals originating from ions provide a method for protecting plant development under adverse conditions.
The application of graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNs) has attracted global attention in various fields, and understanding defense mechanisms against the phytotoxicity of GBNs is crucial for assessing their environmental risks and safe-by-design. However, the related information is lacking, especially for edible vegetable crops. In the present study, GBNs (0.25, 2.5, and 25 mg/kg plant fresh weight) were injected into the stems of pepper plants. The results showed that the plant defense was regulated by reducing the calcium content by 21.7–48.3%, intercellular CO2 concentration by 12.0–35.2%, transpiration rate by 8.7–40.2%, and stomatal conductance by 16.9–50.5%. The defense pathways of plants in response to stress were further verified by the downregulation of endocytosis and transmembrane transport proteins, leading to a decrease in the nanomaterial uptake. The phytohormone gibberellin and abscisic acid receptor PYL8 were upregulated, indicating the activation of defense systems. However, reduced graphene oxide and graphene oxide quantum dots trigger stronger oxidative stress (e.g., H2O2 and malondialdehyde) than graphene oxide in fruits due to the breakdown of antioxidant defense systems (e.g., cytochrome P450 86A22 and P450 77A1). Both nontargeted proteomics and metabolomics consistently demonstrated that the downregulation of carbohydrate and upregulation of amino acid metabolism were the main mechanisms underlying the phytotoxicity and defense mechanisms, respectively.
Using nanomaterials to manipulate the biological activities of cells has generated exciting prospects in materials science and cell biology research. However, the promotion and application of nanomaterials in these fields remain challenging due to issues such as low operability and the induction of adverse events by invasive nanoparticles. Here, we propose an approach to regulate cell behavior by combining a noninvasive n−n heterostructure MW (MoS 2 /WS 2 ) nanofilm with an external magnetic field. Cells seeded on these heterogeneous nanofilms exhibit a stretching phenotype with many more antennas and quicker migration (>1.9 times) than those seeded on homogeneous nanofilms. A magnetic field reverses the cell behavior (e.g., growth, adhesion, migration, and morphology) on heterogeneous nanofilms. Proteins related to cell adhesion and migration contribute to the above reversal. These findings boost the development of cell culture in biomedical research and therapeutic applications, especially in minimally invasive or nondamaging tissue engineering.
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