Bacterial Elimination via Cell Membrane Penetration by Violet Phosphorene Peripheral Sub-Nanoneedles Combined with Oxidative Stress

The effectiveness of antibacterial agents is strongly influenced by its antibacterial mechanism, which, in turn, is dependent on the agent’s topological structure. In addition to oxidative stress (especially caused by reactive oxygen species), known to be a key mechanism for 2D phosphorene structures, physical penetration of bacterial cell membranes is predicted for violet phosphorene nanosheets. In this study, we demonstrate that violet phosphorus (VP) and its exfoliated product, violet phosphorene nanosheets (VPNS), have superior antibacterial capability against pathogens.A series of antibacterial tests and theoretical calculations show that VPNS can inactivate >99.9% of two common pathogens (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) and >99% of two “superbugs” (i.e., antibiotic-resistant bacteria, Escherichia coli pUC19 and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) via oxidative stress combined with cell membrane penetration by VPNS Moreover, VPNS have higher antibacterial activity than black phosphorene nanosheets in vitro and in vivo. We believe VPNS as special rigidly structured nanoagents have great potential for eradicating pathogens. Violet Phosphorene

抗菌剂的抗菌效能受其抗菌机制的显著影响，而抗菌机制又取决于抗菌剂的拓扑结构。除了已知为二维磷烯（2D phosphorene）关键抗菌机制的氧化应激（oxidative stress，尤其是由活性氧（reactive oxygen species）介导的氧化应激）之外，紫磷烯纳米片（violet phosphorene nanosheets，VPNS）被预测可通过物理穿透细菌细胞膜发挥抗菌作用。本研究证实，紫磷（violet phosphorus, VP）及其剥离产物紫磷烯纳米片（VPNS）对病原菌具有优异的抗菌能力。一系列抗菌实验与理论计算结果表明，VPNS可通过氧化应激联合自身介导的细胞膜穿透作用，使两种常见病原菌——大肠杆菌（Escherichia coli）与金黄色葡萄球菌（Staphylococcus aureus）的灭活率超过99.9%，使两种“超级细菌”（即耐药菌（antibiotic-resistant bacteria）：大肠杆菌pUC19与耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌（methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus））的灭活率超过99%。此外，无论在体外还是体内实验中，VPNS的抗菌活性均优于黑磷烯纳米片（black phosphorene nanosheets）。我们认为，具有特殊刚性结构的纳米抗菌剂VPNS在根除病原菌方面具有巨大应用潜力。紫磷烯（Violet Phosphorene）