Combat biofilm by bacteriostatic aptamer-functionalized graphene oxide

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Bacterial biofilms pose significant health risks and treatment challenges due to their resistance to conventional antibiotics.
• Current therapeutic strategies for biofilm infections are often inefficient, necessitating novel approaches.
• Targeted nanoagent delivery for biofilm therapy remains an underexplored area.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an aptamer-targeted graphene oxide (GO) strategy for combating bacterial biofilms.
• To systematically assess the antibiofilm efficacy and toxicity of aptamer-GO conjugates.
• To explore the potential of aptamers as delivery carriers and targeting factors in biofilm disruption.

Main Methods:

• Conjugation of aptamers with graphene oxide (GO) to create aptamer-GO nanoparticles.
• Investigation of antibiofilm efficacy using UV spectrophotometry, inverted microscopy, and atomic force microscopy.
• Evaluation of the specific toxicity of the aptamer-GO conjugate against Salmonella typhimurium.

Main Results:

• The aptamer-GO conjugate (ST-3-GO) demonstrated significant inhibition of Salmonella typhimurium biofilms (93.5 ± 3.4%).
• The ST-3-GO conjugate effectively dispersed existing biofilms (84.6 ± 5.1%).
• The conjugate exhibited distinct toxicity towards S. typhimurium, indicating targeted action.

Conclusions:

• Aptamer-targeted GO represents a highly effective strategy for inhibiting and dispersing bacterial biofilms.
• This nanoagent-based approach shows excellent antibiofilm properties and potential for targeted therapy.
• The developed strategy offers a promising long-term solution for controlling biofilm-related infections.