Antibiotic overuse and mass production have led to a global problem with the treatment of antibacterial infections. Thus, any possibility to limit the number of antibacterial drugs used will contribute to a decrease in the development of pathogenic bacterial resistance. In this study, the enhanced bacterial growth reduction of pharmaceutical activated carbon (PAC) material with adsorbed antimicrobial agents compared to the activity of pure antibacterial drugs was investigated. Sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) at a concentration of 1.1 mg/mL retained the growth of S. aureus and E. coli at 20.5% and 26.5%, respectively, whereas SMZ adsorbed on PAC increased the reduction of the tested bacteria in the range of 47-72%. The use of PAC with adsorbed gentamycin (G) over 24 h improved the effectiveness of E. coli growth reduction by 50% compared to the application of pure antibiotic (3.6 µg/mL). The increased reduction of S. aureus growth by 6% using G with PAC for a 24-h incubation time compared to the use of pure antibiotics at a concentration of 3.6 µg/mL was observed. The results provide proof-of-principle that the new approach of activated carbon with adsorbed antimicrobial agents could yield an attractive background with potential as a new starting material for S. aureus and E. coli pathogen elimination, e.g., in wound-healing treatment in the future.
Keywords: active carbon; adsorption; antibiotics; increased antipathogenic activity; pathogen elimination.