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Nontoxic Carbon Quantum Dots/g‐C 3 N 4 for Efficient Photocatalytic Inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus under Visible Light
Author(s) -
Tang Chenyi,
Liu Chao,
Han Yu,
Guo Qiaoqi,
Ouyang Wei,
Feng Huajun,
Wang Meizhen,
Xu Feng
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
advanced healthcare materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.288
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 2192-2659
pISSN - 2192-2640
DOI - 10.1002/adhm.201801534
Subject(s) - photocatalysis , staphylococcus aureus , visible spectrum , antimicrobial , microbiology and biotechnology , antibiotics , bacteria , graphitic carbon nitride , in vitro , in vivo , materials science , photochemistry , chemistry , biology , biochemistry , catalysis , optoelectronics , genetics
The widespread use of antibiotics has caused the rapid emergence of antibiotic‐resistant bacterial strains and antibiotic resistance genes in the past few decades. Photocatalytic inactivation, a promising approach for the killing of pathogens, efficiently avoids the problems induced by antimicrobial drugs. However, traditional photocatalysts usually have some disadvantages, such as high costs of raw materials, ultraviolet ray excitation, and potential leaching of toxic metals. Here, a metal‐free heterojunction photocatalyst, denoted as CQDs/g‐C 3 N 4 , is synthesized through incorporating carbon quantum dots (CQDs) on graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C 3 N 4 ), which significantly enhances photocatalytic inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ) compared with pure g‐C 3 N 4 in vitro. CQDs/g‐C 3 N 4 causes a rapid increase of intracellular reactive oxygen species levels and destruction of cell membranes under visible light, eventually leading to death of bacteria. The efficacy of CQDs/g‐C 3 N 4 is further examined by a mouse cutaneous infection model of S. aureus . CQDs/g‐C 3 N 4 markedly reduces the bacterial loads and prompts lesion recovery in mice, as compared with g‐C 3 N 4 ‐treated group. In vivo and in vitro toxicity analyses show that the side effects of CQDs/g‐C 3 N 4 are negligible. Considering the efficient photocatalytic inactivation and nontoxicity of CQDs/g‐C 3 N 4 , this visible‐light‐driven photocatalyst paves a brand new avenue for the treatment of S. aureus infection.