Carbon Dots as an Emergent Class of Antimicrobial Agents
Open Access
- 21 July 2021
- journal article
- review article
- Published by MDPI AG in Nanomaterials
- Vol. 11 (8), 1877
- https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11081877
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is a recognized global challenge. Tools for bacterial detection can combat antimicrobial resistance by facilitating evidence-based antibiotic prescribing, thus avoiding their overprescription, which contributes to the spread of resistance. Unfortunately, traditional culture-based identification methods take at least a day, while emerging alternatives are limited by high cost and a requirement for skilled operators. Moreover, photodynamic inactivation of bacteria promoted by photosensitisers could be considered as one of the most promising strategies in the fight against multidrug resistance pathogens. In this context, carbon dots (CDs) have been identified as a promising class of photosensitiser nanomaterials for the specific detection and inactivation of different bacterial species. CDs possess exceptional and tuneable chemical and photoelectric properties that make them excellent candidates for antibacterial theranostic applications, such as great chemical stability, high water solubility, low toxicity and excellent biocompatibility. In this review, we will summarize the most recent advances on the use of CDs as antimicrobial agents, including the most commonly used methodologies for CD and CD/composites syntheses and their antibacterial properties in both in vitro and in vivo models developed in the last 3 years.Keywords
Funding Information
- H2020 European Research Council (648239)
- H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (843720)
- European Cooperation in Science and Technology (CA18132)
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