Nanohole-boosted electron transport between nanomaterials and bacteria as a concept for nano–bio interactions

Abstract

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.

A Review on MoS2 Properties, Synthesis, Sensing Applications and Challenges

“…An interesting research in [91] used nanohole-enriched MoS 2 (NR-MoS 2 ) nanosheets to destroy bacteria and biofilms. The cure is based on the electron transport between NR-MoS 2 and the bacteria, where NR-MoS 2 is a nanosheet of MoS 2 defects and holes.…”

A Nanohook‐Equipped Bionanocatalyst for Localized Near‐Infrared‐Enhanced Catalytic Bacterial Disinfection

“…To address this serious threat to global health, numerous chemically engineered functional nanomaterials with potent antibacterial therapeutic effects have emerged as potential substitutes for traditional antibiotics. This new class of nanomaterials, with mechanisms as diverse as reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, selective ion leaching, and heat ablation effects, represents a new era in nanomedicine [3–9] . In particular, nanomaterials that can mimic oxidoreductases like peroxidase (POD), oxidase (OXD), and catalase (CAT) have sparked increasing interest because they can be used to fine‐tune local ROS levels for satisfactory bactericidal outcomes [10–15] .…”

A Biofilm Microenvironment‐Activated Single‐Atom Iron Nanozyme with NIR‐Controllable Nanocatalytic Activities for Synergetic Bacteria‐Infected Wound Therapy

“…Besides, biofilm formation is regarded as the primary cause of the failure to eradicate the bacteria because of limiting antibacterial material penetration. [47][48][49] Therefore, the penetration behavior and anti-biofilm formation of FePN SAzyme is especially important for curing the biofilm-associated infectious diseases. For quantifying the amount of biofilm formation, crystal violet staining assay was first adopted.…”