Exploring Nitrogen-Functionalized Graphene Composites for Urinary Catheter Applications.
Rita Teixeira-SantosLuciana Calheiros GomesRita VieiraFrancisca Sousa-CardosoOlívia Salomé G P SoaresFilipe José MergulhãoPublished in: Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) (2023)
Graphene has been broadly studied, particularly for the fabrication of biomedical devices, owing to its physicochemical and antimicrobial properties. In this study, the antibiofilm efficacy of graphene nanoplatelet (GNP)-based composites as coatings for urinary catheters (UCs) was investigated. GNPs were functionalized with nitrogen (N-GNP) and incorporated into a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix. The resulting materials were characterized, and the N-GNP/PDMS composite was evaluated against single- and multi-species biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and Klebsiella pneumoniae . Both biofilm cell composition and structure were analyzed. Furthermore, the antibacterial mechanisms of action of N-GNP were explored. The N-GNP/PDMS composite showed increased hydrophobicity and roughness compared to PDMS. In single-species biofilms, this composite significantly reduced the number of S. aureus , P. aeruginosa , and K. pneumoniae cells (by 64, 41, and 29%, respectively), and decreased S. aureus biofilm culturability (by 50%). In tri-species biofilms, a 41% reduction in total cells was observed. These results are aligned with the outcomes of the biofilm structure analysis. Moreover, N-GNP caused changes in membrane permeability and triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS) synthesis in S. aureus , whereas in Gram-negative bacteria, it only induced changes in cell metabolism. Overall, the N-GNP/PDMS composite inhibited biofilm development, showing the potential of these carbon materials as coatings for UCs.
Keyphrases
- staphylococcus aureus
- pseudomonas aeruginosa
- candida albicans
- biofilm formation
- induced apoptosis
- klebsiella pneumoniae
- reactive oxygen species
- cystic fibrosis
- cell cycle arrest
- single cell
- multidrug resistant
- acinetobacter baumannii
- escherichia coli
- cell therapy
- cell death
- dna damage
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- signaling pathway
- quantum dots
- endothelial cells
- reduced graphene oxide
- type diabetes
- drug resistant
- mesenchymal stem cells
- insulin resistance
- walled carbon nanotubes
- metabolic syndrome
- bone marrow
- adipose tissue
- risk assessment
- cell proliferation
- high resolution
- anti inflammatory
- atomic force microscopy
- mass spectrometry
- climate change
- liquid chromatography