Graphene nanoplatelets/Cr2O3 nanocomposites as novel nanoantibiotics: Towards control of multiple drug resistant bacteria

Drug resistance resulting due to the abuse of antibiotics can possibly be fatal for human beings. It, therefore, is required to develop novel nanoantibiotics to fight with the bacterial infections. In this work, we report graphene nanoplatelets/Cr2O3 nanocomposites (GNPs/Cr2O3) as a potential nanomedicine. Antibacterial characteristics of GNPs/Cr2O3 nanocomposites have been investigated against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. GCr(2)O(3)-II with the optimized GNPs' content shows excellent antibacterial performance with 84.25% growth inhibition of S. aureus (Gram-positive bacteria) and 80.76% growth inhibition of-P. aeruginosa (Gram-negative bacteria). This can be attributed to the synergistic contribution of Cr2O3 nanoflakes and GNPs/Cr2O3 nano-composites, towards bacterial membrane disruption, that may be caused by the sharp edges of GNPs and induction of the oxidative stress by Cr2O3 nanoflakes. Therefore, this study suggests that GNPs/Cr2O3 nanocomposites can be employed as an innovative nanoantibiotics for pathogen control.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the potential of GNPs/Cr2O3 nanocomposites as innovative nanoantibiotics for pathogen control, showing excellent antibacterial performance against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The synergistic contribution of Cr2O3 nanoflakes and GNPs/Cr2O3 nano-composites plays a key role in bacterial membrane disruption, making them a promising solution for combating drug resistance.