Graphene Oxide Synergistically Enhances Antibiotic Efficacy in Vancomycin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

The current study highlights a new polyvalent inhibitor approach based on Vancomycin conjugated with graphene oxide (Van@GO) against a Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) strain. Physicochemical characteristics of the prepared Van@GO composites were studied using UV-vis and FTIR spectroscopy techniques. Characterization results confirm the attachment of Vancomycin to the graphene oxide. A significant inhibition of VRSA growth is achieved by Vancomycin when presented as Van@GO. The polyvalent inhibition activity of Van@GO was characterized by performing bacteriological experiments along with scanning electron microscopy. Results clearly exhibit the enhanced inhibition activity of Van@GO compared to Vancomycin alone against VRSA. The high surface area of GO facilitates high loading and multivalent interaction of conjugated Vancomycin leading to polyvalent inhibition. Further, we found that Van@GO significantly reduces the motility of VRSA via inducing oxidative stress compared with untreated samples. Our findings highlight the importance of Van@GO as an effective polyvalent inhibition recipe for VRSA.