Graphene oxide-supported berberine and aloe-emodin nanocomposites for dual-drug release and antimicrobial therapy

Enhanced drug resistance of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) caused by antibiotic abuse brings serious safety concern. Herein, we report a nanodrug delivery strategy targeting S. aureus and achieve efficient antimicrobial therapy. First, the S. aureus-specific aptamer is conjugated with graphene oxide (GO), followed by the assembly of berberine (BBR) and aloe-emodin (AE). The combined nanodrugs with optimization ratio exhibit excellent targeted antibacterial effect on S. aureus, which is reflected by gene expressions and survival rates. Meanwhile, satisfactory safety evaluation is observed in a wide concentration range. The results of mouse mastitis model further demonstrate successful in vivo targeting of S. aureus and effective alleviation of S. aureus perfusion caused damage. This study not only provides a novel idea for the nanodrug delivery system, but also broadens the application prospect of Traditional Chinese Medicine in antimicrobial therapy.