Supramolecular Interaction of Molecular Cage and β-Galactosidase: Application in Enzymatic Inhibition, Drug Delivery and Antimicrobial Activity

Shape and Size Dependent Antimicrobial and Anti-biofilm Properties of Functionalized MoS2

Bacterial resistance, accelerated by the misuse of antibiotics, remains a critical concern for public health, promoting an ongoing exploration for cost-effective and safe antibacterial agents. Recently, there has been significant focus on various nanomaterials for the development of alternative antibiotics. Among these, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has gained attention due to its unique chemical, physical, and electronic properties, as well as its semiconducting nature, biocompatibility, and colloidal stability, positioning it as a promising candidate for biomedical research. The impact of the shape and size of MoS2 nanomaterials on the antibacterial activity remains largely unexplored. In this study, we investigated the effect of the shape and size of MoS2 nanomaterials, such as quantum dots, nanoflowers, and nanosheets, on antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity. As we had established earlier, functionalization with positively charged thiol ligands can enhance colloidal stability, biocompatibility, and antibacterial efficacy; we functionalized all targeted nanomaterials. Our results revealed that functionalized MoS2 quantum dots (F-MQDs) exhibited superior activity compared to functionalized MoS2 nanoflowers (F-MNFs) and functionalized MoS2 nanosheets (F-MNSs) against Staphylococcus aureus (SA), both drug-resistant (methicillin) and nonresistant strains. We observed very low minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC, 30 ng/mL) for F-MQDs. The observed trend in antibacterial efficacy was as follows: F-MQDs > F-MNFs ≥ F-MNSs. We explored the relevant mechanism related to the antibacterial activity where the balance between membrane depolarization and internalization plays the determining role. Furthermore, F-MQDs show enhanced anti-biofilm activity compared to F-MNFs and F-MNSs against mature MRSA biofilms. Due to the superior antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity of F-MQDs, we extended their application to wound healing. This study will help us to develop other appropriate surface modified nanomaterials for antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity for further applications such as antibacterial coatings, water disinfection, and wound healing.

Supramolecular cage-mediated cargo transport

A steady stream of material transport based on carriers and channels in living systems plays an extremely important role in normal life activities. Inspired by nature, researchers have extensively applied supramolecular cages in cargo transport because of their unique three-dimensional structures and excellent physicochemical properties. In this review, we will focus on the development of supramolecular cages as carriers and channels for cargo transport in abiotic and biological systems over the past fifteen years. In addition, we will discuss future challenges and potential applications of supramolecular cages in substance transport.

Gram-Selective Antibacterial Activity of Mixed-Charge 2D-MoS2

Development of nanomaterial-based antibiotics can be the most potent alternative due to the increasing resistance against conventional antibiotics. But one of the important parameters in development of antibacterial agent is...