Carbon dots as emerging antimicrobial agents : insight and future prospects

Details

Supervisors

Lorent, Joseph H.

Faculty

Faculté de pharmacie et des sciences biomédicales

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences pharmaceutiques, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

Carbon dots present unique physiochemical properties, some of which include nanoscale size, high surface area, tunable surface functionalities and high compatibility that combined, substantially expands their scope of applications. In this review, our aim was to give a deeper understanding of the future prospects of carbon dots as antimicrobial agents. Fist, studies have shown that carbon dots possess bactericidal properties against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, but also towards resistance strains such as MRSA. Interestingly, their tunable surface allows us to enhance selective inhibition of a selected strain or target a broad-spectrum of pathogens for potential applications. Carbon dots kill bacteria by promoting oxidative stress within the bacterial cell and important structural damage to the cell membrane. Some dots present, in addition, photodynamic and photothermal properties that further improves their performances as antibacterial agents. These multimodal mechanisms are suggested to mitigate the risk of resistance and explain the widespread interest that carbon dots have gathered as a versatile and innovative platform for addressing the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance throughout the world.