Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is a recognized global challenge. Tools for bacterial detection can combat antimicrobial resistance by facilitating evidence-based antibiotic prescribing, thus avoiding their overprescription, which contributes to the spread of resistance. Unfortunately, traditional culture-based identification methods take at least a day, while emerging alternatives are limited by high cost and a requirement for skilled operators. Moreover, photodynamic inactivation of bacteria promoted by photosensitisers could be considered as one of the most promising strategies in the fight against multidrug resistance pathogens. In this context, carbon dots (CDs) have been identified as a promising class of photosensitiser nanomaterials for the specific detection and inactivation of different bacterial species. CDs possess exceptional and tuneable chemical and photoelectric properties that make them excellent candidates for antibacterial theranostic applications, such as great chemical stability, high water solubility, low toxicity and excellent biocompatibility. In this review, we will summarize the most recent advances on the use of CDs as antimicrobial agents, including the most commonly used methodologies for CD and CD/composites syntheses and their antibacterial properties in both in vitro and in vivo models developed in the last 3 years.
Highlights
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a major threat that affects public health.One of the main causes for this problem is the extensive and disproportionate use of antimicrobial agents, which has led to the selection of drug-resistant pathogens that have developed new resistance mechanisms
We aim to summarize the most common synthetic methodologies for accessing carbon dots (CDs) and CD/composites and their application for bacterial detection, as well as their bactericidal properties in both in vitro and in vivo models developed within the last
The slow pace of antibacterial discovery requires the development of novel antimicrobial drugs, but it requires the development of improved strategies for the repurposing of existing agents and effective diagnostic tools that can inform antibiotic prescription
Summary
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a major threat that affects public health. One of the main causes for this problem is the extensive and disproportionate use of antimicrobial agents, which has led to the selection of drug-resistant pathogens that have developed new resistance mechanisms. Oxazolidinones represent the first new chemical class of antibiotic to reach the clinic in over 30 years These molecules are inhibitors of bacterial protein biosynthesis and represent an important class of drugs that are effective against a range of Gram-positive bacteria including multiresistant pathogens such as methicillin-resistant. The prevention of infections through the early detection of pathogens and the development of new antibacterial agents able to circumvent bacterial multidrug resistance (MDR) represent a crucial objective of current biomedical research. CDs are a class of quasispherical carbon-based fluorescent nanomaterials with a typical size of 10 nm or below These materials possess great chemical stability, high water solubility, and outstanding photoelectric properties. They exhibit low toxicity and excellent biocompatibility [18] These features, together with their ease of preparation and reduce material costs, makes CDs ideal candidates for antibacterial theranostic applications.
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