Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 encapsulated with Mo-based polyoxometalates as surfaces with antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli

• Published in: Nanoscale advances Vol. 6; no. 13; pp. 3355 - 3366
• Main Authors: Abdelkhalek, Mariam M., Mohamed, Aya M., Abdallah, Rehab Z., Khedr, Ghada E., Siam, Rania, Allam, Nageh K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: RSC 25.06.2024
• Subjects: Chemistry
• ISSN: 2516-0230; 2516-0230
• DOI: 10.1039/D4NA00142G

Bacterial infections represent a major global health concern, causing millions of deaths and a significant economic burden. The development of antibacterial nanoporous surfaces with potential mechano-bactericidal effects can revolutionize infection control practices. In this study, a hybrid material of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) doped with phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) was synthesized and characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and N 2 sorption isotherms. PMA@ZIF-8 performance as an antibacterial agent against E. coli was superior to that of its individual constituents, suggesting a synergistic effect of PMA and ZIF-8. The incorporation of PMA into ZIF-8 significantly enhanced its antibacterial efficacy, as evidenced by a twofold reduction in MIC (375 μg mL −1 vs. 750 μg mL −1 ) and a 4.35 times increase in the bactericidal kinetics rate constant. The time-kill curve experiment revealed that PMA@ZIF-8 achieved a 3-log reduction within 7 hours, whereas ZIF-8 required 24 hours to reach the same level of reduction. The density functional theory (DFT) calculated bandgap of PMA@ZIF-8 was significantly less than that of ZIF-8. Also, PMA@ZIF-8 has caused the elimination of 56.72% of the thiol group as detected by Ellman's assay. Accordingly, PMA@ZIF-8 can be both computationally and experimentally demonstrated as an oxidative nanozyme. PMA@ZIF-8's surface topology revealed nanorod protrusions, suggesting a potential mechano-bactericidal effect, which was confirmed by live/dead assay on PMA@ZIF-8-coated glass. This study highlights the potential of the PMA@ZIF-8 hybrid as a highly effective antibacterial agent, holding promise for creating multifunctional antibacterial surfaces.