ABSTRACT
Abstract ................................................................................................. 324 11.1 Introduction ................................................................................ 324 11.2 Graphene: General Aspects ........................................................ 326 11.3 Graphene in Drug Delivery ........................................................ 327 11.4 Antimicrobial Activity of Graphene .......................................... 328 11.5 Antimicrobial Activity of Graphene-Based Nanocomposites ....331 11.6 Conclusions ................................................................................ 338 Keywords .............................................................................................. 340 References ............................................................................................. 340
DARIANE JORNADA CLERICI1, MÁRCIA EBLING DE SOUZA1, and ROBERTO CHRIST VIANNA SANTOS2*
1Nanotechnology Laboratory, Centro Universitário Franciscano, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
2Laboratory of Oral Microbiology Research, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
*Corresponding author. E-mail: robertochrist@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Despite advancements in drug discovery and in pharmaceutical biotechnology, infections caused by microorganisms are a major cause of human morbidity and mortality. Antimicrobials are the first and foremost option for the treatment of infections. However, abuse of such drugs led to resistance, making it extremely difficult to treat infections. Therefore, new intelligent solutions are necessary to overcome such concerns. Carbonbased nanoparticles are part of it, since they present high antimicrobial activity. Recently, graphene has been proposed as a new and effective antimicrobial material having severe cytotoxic effect on bacteria, fungi, and plant pathogens with less resistance. Besides, compared with carbon nanotubes, graphene has a tolerable effect in mammalian cells. In the biomedical field, graphene materials have applications in therapy, diagnosis, and drug release, properties that are unique. Also, graphene has been widely used as an effective carrier for nanoadministering drugs including antimicrobials due to its rich chemical surface, high aspect ratio, and ability to cross the plasma membrane. Graphene-based nanocomposites have emerged as promising antibacterial materials since they can overcome the limitations of the individual components. In general, the antimicrobial action of graphene involves physical and chemical effects but the antibacterial graphene mechanism has not been fully elucidated.
