CARBOHYDRATE-COATED SILICA NANOPARTICLES – A BACTERIA TARGETING NANOPARTICLE MODEL

The worldwide society battles against Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), and consequently, new approaches to fight bacteria, especially superbugs, are urgently needed. In this context, nanobiotechnology has been increasingly explored due to the possibility of creating multifunctional systems for selective targeting and delivery of molecules and drugs¹. Due to their lipopolysaccharides outer membrane, Gram-negative bacteria show affinity to carbohydrates². Therefore, nanoparticle surface modification with carbohydrates can be an excellent strategy for bacteria targeting. This work aims to tailor carbohydrate-coated silica nanoparticles as a strategy to target Escherichia coli. To boost nano-bacteria membrane interaction, mannose, maltose, and trehalose were used as coating molecules. Additionally, colloidal stability was investigated in different mediums, e.g., water, PBS, and LB broth.

References:
1 Varaprasad, K., et al. Antibiotic Nanomaterials. In: Antibiotic Materials in Healthcare. Elsevier Inc.: 2020.
2 Capeletti, L.B., et al. Gram-Negative Bacteria Targeting Mediated by Carbohydrate–Carbohydrate Interactions Induced by Surface-Modified Nanoparticles. Advanced Functional Materials 2019, 29, 1–11.

Acknowledgment: We thank FAPESP (process number: 21/11858-2), CNPEM (LNLS and LNBio), and UNICAMP for all financial support along this work.