Antimicrobial hydrogels incorporating nanoselenium@reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites for biofilm inhibition

Abstract

The growing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains is reducing the efficacy of conventional treatments for bacterial infections and complicating the issue of biofilm formation. Herein, we synthesized selenium nanoparticles@reduced graphene oxide (nSe@rGO) to obtain nanocomposites with high antibacterial abilities. Importantly, the nanocomposite was synthesized at room temperature by bio-reduction employing the fruit extract of Phyllanthus emblica, which concurrently acted as a reducing agent for the synthesis of both nSe and rGO. To ensure sustained release and enhance long-term performance, the nanocomposite was incorporated into a hydrogel matrix of polyacrylamide and gum tragacanth. These nanocomposite hydrogels exhibited a significant 74% reduction in protein adsorption, highlighting their antifouling behavior. The hydrogels displayed a remarkable efficacy in reducing biofilm formation by the prevalent pathogens responsible for biofilm-associated infections, namely, S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, achieving significant reductions of 97% and 86%, respectively. Notably, the hydrogels demonstrated sustained release of the nSe@rGO nanocomposite and maintained the bactericidal efficacy for an extended period of 5 days. The nSe@rGO nanocomposite hydrogels were capable of disrupting the well-established bacterial biofilms, achieving up to 80% reduction in biomass. In light of the remarkable potential mentioned above, these hydrogels offer a unique approach to tackle both planktonic and biofilm-associated infections.