Exploring Nitrogen-Functionalized Graphene Composites for Urinary Catheter Applications

• Tipo: Artigo em Revista Científica Internacional
• Data: 2023

Autores

Rita Teixeira dos Santos (Autor) FEUP; Luciana Gomes (Autor) FEUP; Vieira, R (Autor) Outra; Sousa Cardoso, F (Autor) Outra; Soares, SGP (Autor) Outra; Filipe Mergulhão (Autor) FEUP

Revista

Título: Nanomaterials

Vol. 13

Página Final: 2604

ISSN: 2079-4991

Editora: MDPI

Indexação

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citações

Scopus - 0 Citações

Projetos Associados

LEPABE - Financiamento Plurianual 2020-2023 da Unidade de I&D LEPABE - Laboratório de Engenharia de Processos, Ambiente, Biotecnologia e Energia

ALiCE - ALiCE - Laboratório Associado em Engenharia Química

NanoCAT - NanoCAT - Utilização de nanotubos de carbono modificados para combater infecções em catéteres urinários e stents

2SMART - 2SMART - engineered Smart materials for Smart citizens

Outras Informações

ID Authenticus: P-00Z-3AC

DOI: 10.3390/nano13182604

Abstract (EN): Graphene has been broadly studied, particularly for the fabrication of biomedical devices, owing to its physicochemical and antimicrobial properties. In this study, the antibiofilm efficacy of graphene nanoplatelet (GNP)-based composites as coatings for urinary catheters (UCs) was investigated. GNPs were functionalized with nitrogen (N-GNP) and incorporated into a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix. The resulting materials were characterized, and the N-GNP/PDMS composite was evaluated against single- and multi-species biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Both biofilm cell composition and structure were analyzed. Furthermore, the antibacterial mechanisms of action of N-GNP were explored. The N-GNP/PDMS composite showed increased hydrophobicity and roughness compared to PDMS. In single-species biofilms, this composite significantly reduced the number of S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and K. pneumoniae cells (by 64, 41, and 29%, respectively), and decreased S. aureus biofilm culturability (by 50%). In tri-species biofilms, a 41% reduction in total cells was observed. These results are aligned with the outcomes of the biofilm structure analysis. Moreover, N-GNP caused changes in membrane permeability and triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS) synthesis in S. aureus, whereas in Gram-negative bacteria, it only induced changes in cell metabolism. Overall, the N-GNP/PDMS composite inhibited biofilm development, showing the potential of these carbon materials as coatings for UCs. © 2023 by the authors.

Idioma: Inglês

Tipo (Avaliação Docente): Científica