Issue 43, 2016

Antibacterial activity of graphene-based materials

Abstract

Complications related to infectious diseases have significantly decreased due to the availability and use of a wide variety of antibiotics and antimicrobial agents. However, excessive use of antibiotics and antimicrobial agents over years has increased the number of drug resistant pathogens. Microbial multidrug resistance poses serious risks and consequently research attention has refocused on finding alternatives for antimicrobial treatment. Among the various approaches, the use of engineered nanostructures is currently the most promising strategy to overcome microbial drug resistance by improving the remedial efficiency due to their high surface-to-volume ratio and their intrinsic or chemically incorporated antibacterial activity. Graphene, a two-dimensional ultra-thin nanomaterial, possesses excellent biocompatibility, putting it in the forefront for different applications in biosensing, drug delivery, biomedical device development, diagnostics and therapeutics. Graphene-based nanostructures also hold great promise for combating microbial infections. Yet, several questions remain unanswered such as the mechanism of action with the microbial entities, the importance of size and chemical composition in the inhibition of bacterial proliferation and adhesion, cytotoxicity, and other issues when considering future clinical implementation. This review summarizes the current efforts in the formulation of graphene-based nanocomposites with antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities as new tools to tackle the current challenges in fighting against bacterial targets. Furthermore, the review describes the features of graphene–bacterial interactions, with the hope to shed light on the range of possible mode of actions, serving the goal to develop a better understanding of the antibacterial capabilities of graphene-based nanostructures.

Graphical abstract: Antibacterial activity of graphene-based materials

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
04 júl 2016
Accepted
30 aug 2016
First published
30 aug 2016

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2016,4, 6892-6912

Antibacterial activity of graphene-based materials

S. Szunerits and R. Boukherroub, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2016, 4, 6892 DOI: 10.1039/C6TB01647B

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements