Antibiotic-Loaded Boron Nitride Nanoconjugate with Strong Performance against Planktonic Bacteria and Biofilms

Journal article, 2023

Protecting surfacesfrom biofilm formation presents a significantchallenge in the biomedical field. The utilization of antimicrobialcomponent-conjugated nanoparticles is becoming an attractive strategyagainst infectious biofilms. Boron nitride (BN) nanomaterials havea unique biomedical application value due to their excellent biocompatibility.Here, we developed antibiotic-loaded BN nanoconjugates to combat bacterialbiofilms. Antibiofilm testing included two types of pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichiacoli. Gentamicin was loaded on polydopamine-modifiedBN nanoparticles (GPBN) to construct a nanoconjugate, which was veryeffective in killing E. coli and S. aureus planktonic cells. GPBN exhibited equallystrong capacity for biofilm destruction, tested on preformed biofilms.A 24 h treatment with the nanoconjugate reduced cell viability bymore than 90%. Our results suggest that GPBN adheres to the surfaceof the biofilm, penetrates inside the biofilm matrix, and finallydeactivates the cells. Interestingly, the GPBN coatings also stronglyinhibited the formation of bacterial biofilms. Based on these results,we suggest that GPBN could serve as an effective means for treatingbiofilm-associated infections and as coatings for biofilm prevention.