Levofloxacin-based carbon dots to enhance antibacterial activities and combat antibiotic resistance

Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) are defined as the lowest concentration of an antimicrobial that will inhibit the visible growth of a microorganism after overnight incubation, and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) as the lowest concentration of antimicrobial that will prevent the growth of an organism after subculture on to antibiotic-free media. MICs are used by diagnostic laboratories mainly to confirm resistance, but most often as a research tool to determine the in vitro activity of new antimicrobials, and data from such studies have been used to determine MIC breakpoints. MBC determinations are undertaken less frequently and their major use has been reserved for isolates from the blood of patients with endocarditis. Standardized methods for determining MICs and MBCs are described in this paper. Like all standardized procedures, the method must be adhered to and may not be adapted by the user. The method gives information on the storage of standard antibiotic powder, preparation of stock antibiotic solutions, media, preparation of inocula, incubation conditions, and reading and interpretation of results. Tables giving expected MIC ranges for control NCTC and ATCC strains are also supplied.

Abstract Despite the various synthesis methods to obtain carbon dots (CDs), the bottom‐up methods are still the most widely administrated route to afford large‐scale and low‐cost synthesis. However, as CDs are developed with increasing reports involved in producing many CDs, the structure and property features have changed enormously compared with the first generation of CDs, raising classification concerns. To this end, a new classification of CDs, named carbonized polymer dots (CPDs), is summarized according to the analysis of structure and property features. Here, CPDs are revealed as an emerging class of CDs with distinctive polymer/carbon hybrid structures and properties. Furthermore, deep insights into the effects of synthesis on the structure/property features of CDs are provided. Herein, the synthesis methods of CDs are also summarized in detail, and the effects of synthesis conditions of the bottom‐up methods in terms of the structures and properties of CPDs are discussed and analyzed comprehensively. Insights into formation process and nucleation mechanism of CPDs are also offered. Finally, a perspective of the future development of CDs is proposed with critical insights into facilitating their potential in various application fields.

Herein, an antibacterial system combining the "safe" carbon nanomaterials, graphene quantum dots (GQDs), with a low level of H2O2 has been put forward. It has been found that the peroxidase-like activity of GQDs originates from their ability to catalyze the decomposition of H2O2, generating ·OH. Since the ·OH has a higher antibacterial activity, the conversion of H2O2 into ·OH improves the antibacterial performance of H2O2, which makes it possible to avoid the toxicity of H2O2 at high levels in wound disinfection. All the experiments in vitro display that this intrinsic activity exerts a high enhancement of antibacterial activity of H2O2, and the designed system possessed broad spectrum of antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. More importantly, to assess the antibacterial efficacy of the designed system in actual wound disinfection, the GQD-Band-Aids are prepared and show excellent antibacterial property with the assistance of H2O2 at low dose in vivo.