Anti-bacterial activity of graphene oxide as a new weapon nanomaterial to combat multidrug-resistance bacteria

Antibiotic resistance in microbial pathogens has become a serious health problem in the world. The increasing spread of hospital acquired infections especially in immunocompromised and cancer patients caused by multi drug-resistant (MDR) microbial pathogens is restricting the choices for impressive antibiotic therapy. So many efforts have been made to develop new compounds with antimicrobial activity. In recent years, nanoparticles, particularly graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles have found many applications in various fields, including antibacterial action, pathogens bio detection, cancer therapy, and drug and gene delivery. The use of graphene oxide as an antibacterial agent for the treatment of infections with multidrug resistance is growing due to the unique physicochemical properties as wide surface area, excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, and bio-compatibility. To reduce toxicity and increase the efficiency of graphene oxide as an antimicrobial agent, different surface modification and functionalization with inorganic nanostructures, biomolecules and polymers were developed. In this review article, we give our overview of the progress made on the graphene oxide nanocomposites as a new generation of antimicrobial agents. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.