Co-, N-doped carbon dot nanozymes based on an untriggered ROS generation approach for anti-biofilm activities and in vivo anti-bacterial treatment

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. B, Materials for biology and medicine Vol. 12; no. 4; pp. 1052 - 1063
• Main Authors: Dong, Wenpei, Xu, Lingyun, Chen, Mengting, Jiang, Tao, Su, Li, Ma, Jinliang, Chen, Chang-po, Zhang, Guisheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Royal Society of Chemistry 24.01.2024
• Subjects: Antibacterial agents; Bacteria; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial Infections; Biofilms; Carbon; Carbon - chemistry; Carbon dots; Humans; Hydrogen Peroxide; Infections; Nanomaterials; Nanotechnology; Oxidation; Peritonitis; Public health; Reactive Oxygen Species; Soil water; Substrates; Wound healing
• ISSN: 2050-750X; 2050-7518; 2050-7518
• DOI: 10.1039/D3TB01794J

Bacterial infections originating from food, water, and soil are widely recognized as significant global public health concerns. Biofilms are implicated in approximately two-thirds of bacterial infections. In recent times, nanomaterials have emerged as potential agents for combating biofilms and bacteria, with many of them being activated by light and H 2 O 2 to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, this energy-consuming and extrinsic substrate pattern poses many challenges for practical application. Consequently, there is a pressing need to develop methods for the untriggered generation of ROS to effectively address biofilm and bacterial infections. In this study, we investigated the oxidase-like activity of the Co,N-doped carbon dot (CoNCD) nanozyme, which facilitated the oxidation of ambient O 2 to generate 1 O 2 in the absence of light and H 2 O 2 supplementation; this resulted in effective biofilm cleavage and enhanced bactericidal effects. CoNCDs could become a potential candidate for wound healing and treatment of acute peritonitis in vivo , which can be primarily attributed to the spontaneous production of ROS. This study presents a convenient ROS generator that does not necessitate any specific triggering conditions. The nanozyme properties of CoNCDs exhibit significant promise as a potential remedy for diseases, specifically as an anti-biofilm and anti-bacterial agent.