Stable Nanocomposite Based on PEGylated and Silver Nanoparticles Loaded Graphene Oxide for Long-Term Antibacterial Activity

The increasing occurrence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, especially superbugs, is compromising the efficacy of traditional antibiotics. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) loaded graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposite (GO-Ag) has drawn great interest as a promising alternative antibacterial material. However, GO-Ag nanocomposite often irreversibly aggregates in physiological solutions, severely influencing its antibacterial capacity and practical application. Herein, a PEGylated and AgNPs loaded GO nanocomposite (GO-PEG-Ag) is synthesized through a facile approach utilizing microwave irradiation, while avoiding extra reducing agents. Through PEGylation, the synthesized GO-PEG-Ag nanocomposite dispersed stably over one month in a series of media and resisted centrifugation at 10 000×g for 5 min, which would benefit effective contact between the nanocomposite and the bacteria. In contrast, GO-Ag aggregated within 1 h of dispersion in physiological solutions. In comparison with GO-Ag, GO-PEG-Ag showed stronger bactericidal capability toward not only normal Gram-negative/positive bacteria such as E. coli and S. aureus (∼100% of E. coli and ∼95.3% of S. aureus reduction by 10 μg/mL nanocomposite for 2.5 h), but also superbugs. Moreover, GO-PEG-Ag showed lower cytotoxicity toward HeLa cells. Importantly, GO-PEG-Ag presented long-term antibacterial effectiveness, remaining ∼95% antibacterial activity after one-week storage in saline solution versus <35% for GO-Ag. The antibacterial mechanisms of GO-PEG-Ag were evidenced as damage to the bacterial structure and production of reactive oxygen species, causing cytoplasm leakage and metabolism decrease. The stable GO-PEG-Ag nanocomposite with powerful and long-term antibacterial capability provides a more practical and effective strategy for fighting superbugs-including pathogen threats in biomedicine and public health.