Enhanced antibacterial activity of carbon dots functionalized with ampicillin combined with visible light triggered photodynamic effects

Roxana Jijie (1) , Alexandre Barras (1, 2) , Julie Bouckaert (3) , Nicoleta Dumitrascu , Sabine Szunerits (1, 2) , Rabah Boukherroub (1, 2)

1 IEMN - Institut d’Électronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie - UMR 8520
2 NBI - IEMN - NanoBioInterfaces - IEMN
3 UGSF - Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle - UMR 8576

In the last years, carbon-based nanomaterials have attracted considerable attention in a wide range of fields, particularly in biomedicine, owing to their remarkable photo-physical and chemical properties. In this study, we demonstrate that amine-terminated carbon dots (CDs-NH2) functionalized with ampicillin (AMP) offer a new perspective for antibacterial treatment. The amine-functionalized carbon dots were used as a carrier for immobilization and delivery of ampicillin (CDs-AMP) and as a visible light-triggered antibacterial material. Additionally, AMP immobilization on the CDs-NH2 surface improves its stability in solution as compared to free AMP. The AMP conjugated CDs platform combines the antibacterial function of AMP and conserves the intrinsic theranostic properties of CDs-NH2. Therefore, the AMP immobilized onto CDs-NH2 surface together with the generation of moderate quantities of reactive oxygen species under visible light illumination is very effective to inactivate the growth of Escherichia coli.

Mots clés: Carbon dots; Ampicillin; Bactericidal activity; Escherichia coli; PDT

Domaines: Biochimie, Biologie Moléculaire; Chimie; Matériaux

Roxana Jijie, Alexandre Barras, Julie Bouckaert, Nicoleta Dumitrascu, Sabine Szunerits, et al.. Enhanced antibacterial activity of carbon dots functionalized with ampicillin combined with visible light triggered photodynamic effects. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 2018, 170, pp.347 - 354. ⟨10.1016/j.colsurfb.2018.06.040⟩. ⟨hal-01925065⟩