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Black Phosphorus Nanosheets Counteract Bacteria without Causing Antibiotic Resistance |
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| Authors: | Dr Wenxin Liu Dr Yinan Zhang Dr Yanling Zhang Prof Dr Alideertu Dong |
| Institution: | 1. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University, 235 University West Street, Hohhot, 010021 P. R. China
Engineering Research Center of Dairy Quality and Safety Control Technology, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia University, 235 University West Street, Hohhot, 010021 P. R. China;2. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University, 235 University West Street, Hohhot, 010021 P. R. China |
| Abstract: | Antibiotic resistance poses severe health threats throughout the world. Exploring new antibiotics is widely recognized as an effective strategy to counter antibiotic resistance, but new antibiotics will eventually lead to further antibiotic resistance when new drugs are misused or overused. An alternative tactic may be antibacterial regulation on demand. Here, we show experimentally and theoretically that unstable black phosphorus nanosheets (BPNs) can function as antibacterial agents without causing antibiotic resistance. This antibacterial strategy relies on an unprecedented synergism: The BPNs use reactive oxygen species, are not toxic towards nonbacterial cells within a wide range of BPN concentration (0.01–2.0 mg mL−1), and are chemically degradable on demand. BPNs thus offer a promising approach to fighting bacterial infections without causing antibiotic resistance. We believe this proposed strategy offers new insights into instability-guided antibacterial therapy in clinical applications and indicates a new direction for fighting antibiotic resistance. |
| Keywords: | antibiotics density functional calculations phosphorus reaction mechanisms reactive oxygen species |