Development of mechano bactericidal gold nanostars based hydrogel for sensing and anti bacterial applications

Abstract

Based on the reports, AMR was estimated to be the third leading cause of global disease burden in 2019. With the current scenario, reports have suggested a major burden on Asian and African countries by 2050. Due to low generation time and horizontal replication mechanisms genetic mutations in bacteria develop at a faster rate, making it difficult to target and curb antimicrobial resistance. Unprescribed consumption of broad spectrum antibiotics in bacterial infection has been reported to cause Multidrug resistance. For a targeted approach against bacterial resistance, it is essential to identify the bacterial strain and to curb the growth of AMR bacterial colonies, bioinspired bactericidal surfaces are being developed. Considering the above mentioned complications for bacterial identification and eradication, this study aimed at developing an efficient assay utilizing Gold nanostars (AuNst) for colorimetric bacterial identification and target bacterial resistance by nanostructured hydrogel. It was hypothesized that AuNst with spikes of length ~120nm would be sufficient to pierce and lyse the bacterial membrane. The lysate generated could be used for bacterial identification while AuNst conjugated hydrogel would be used for MDR resistant bacterial infected wound healing. newline