Yan Su, Jinyan Hu, Yang Wang, Yuan Li, Longfei Xiao, Xialing He, Zhenlin Zhang, Jinming Cai, Dengyu Pan, Yu Chen, Bijiang Geng, Ping Li, Longxiang Shen
Developing next-generation antibiotics to eliminate multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria/fungi and stubborn biofilms is challenging, because of the excessive use of currently available antibiotics. Herein, we report the fabrication of anti-infection graphene quantum dots (GQDs), as a new class of topoisomerase (Topo) targeting nanoantibiotics, by modification of rich N-heterocycles (pyridinic N) at edge sites. The membrane-penetrating, nucleus-localizing, DNA binding GQDs not only damage the cell walls/membranes of bacteria or fungi, but also inhibit DNA binding proteins, such as Topo I, thereby affecting DNA replication, transcription, and recombination...
November 27, 2023: Advanced Healthcare Materials