Inhibition of microbial growth by carbon nanotube networks.
In the last years carbon nanotubes have attracted increasing attention for their potential applications in the biomedical field as diagnostic and therapeutic nano tools. Here we investigate the antimicrobial activity of different fully characterized carbon nanotube types (single walled, double walled and multi walled) on representative pathogen species: Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the opportunistic fungus Candida albicans. Our results show that all the carbon nanotube types possess a highly significant antimicrobial capacity, even though they have a colony forming unit capacity and induction of oxidative stress in all the microbial species to a different extent. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that the microbial cells were wrapped or entrapped by carbon nanotube networks. Our data taken together suggest that the reduced capacity of microbial cells to forming colonies and their oxidative response could be related to the cellular stress induced by the interactions of pathogens with the CNT network.
Dept. Biology and Biotechnology, Sapienza-University of Rome, Rome, Italy. daniela.uccelletti@uniroma1.it.
Massimiliano
M
Olivi
Elena
E
Zanni
Giovanni
G
De Bellis
Claudio
C
Talora
Maria Sabrina
MS
Sarto
Claudio
C
Palleschi
Emmanuel
E
Flahaut
Marc
M
Monthioux
Stefania
S
Rapino
Daniela
D
Uccelletti
Silvana
S
Fiorito
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species