Development of ε-poly(L-lysine) carbon dots-modified magnetic nanoparticles and their applications as novel antibacterial agents

Yuying Jiang; Xinkai Xu; Jinglin Lu; Chuqiang Yin; Guotai Li; Longjian Bai; Tiantian Zhang; Jianning Mo; Xiaoyu Wang; Qiang Shi; Ting Wang; Qihui Zhou

doi:10.3389/fchem.2023.1184592

Development of ε-poly(L-lysine) carbon dots-modified magnetic nanoparticles and their applications as novel antibacterial agents

Front Chem. 2023 Apr 7:11:1184592. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2023.1184592. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Yuying Jiang^{1

2}, Xinkai Xu^{1

2}, Jinglin Lu^{1

2}, Chuqiang Yin¹, Guotai Li³, Longjian Bai^{1

2}, Tiantian Zhang^{1

2}, Jianning Mo^{1

2}, Xiaoyu Wang^{1

2}, Qiang Shi⁴, Ting Wang¹, Qihui Zhou^{3

4

5}

Affiliations

¹ The Affliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
² School of Stomatology, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
³ School of Rehabilitation Sciences and Engineering, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao, China.
⁴ Moji-Nano Technology Co. Ltd, Yantai, China.
⁵ Zhejiang Engineering Research Center for Tissue Repair Materials, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, China.

Abstract

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are widely applied in antibacterial therapy owing to their distinct nanoscale structure, intrinsic peroxidase-like activities, and magnetic behavior. However, some deficiencies, such as the tendency to aggregate in water, unsatisfactory biocompatibility, and limited antibacterial effect, hindered their further clinical applications. Surface modification of MNPs is one of the main strategies to improve their (bio)physicochemical properties and enhance biological functions. Herein, antibacterial ε-poly (L-lysine) carbon dots (PL-CDs) modified MNPs (CMNPs) were synthesized to investigate their performance in eliminating pathogenic bacteria. It was found that the PL-CDs were successfully loaded on the surface of MNPs by detecting their morphology, surface charges, functional groups, and other physicochemical properties. The positively charged CMNPs show superparamagnetic properties and are well dispersed in water. Furthermore, bacterial experiments indicate that the CMNPs exhibited highly effective antimicrobial properties against Staphylococcus aureus. Notably, the in vitro cellular assays show that CMNPs have favorable cytocompatibility. Thus, CMNPs acting as novel smart nanomaterials could offer great potential for the clinical treatment of bacterial infections.

Keywords: antibacteria; carbon dots; cytocompatibility; magnetic nanoparticles; smart nanomaterials.