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Abstract
Biofilms comprise bacteria attached to wound surfaces and are major contributors to non-healing wounds. It was found that the increased resistance of biofilms to antibiotics allows wound infections to persist chronically in spite of antibiotic therapy. In this study, the reduced form of graphene oxide (rGO) was explored as plausible antibiofilm agents. The rGO was synthesized via reducing the functional groups of GO. Then, rGO were characterized using zetasizer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV–Vis spectroscopy and FESEM. The rGO were then formulated into sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (NaCMC) hydrogels to form rGO hydrogel and tested for antibiofilm activities in vitro using XTT test, and in vivo biofilm formation assay using nematodes C. elegans. Reduced GO hydrogel was successfully formed by reducing the functional groups of GO, and a reduction of up to 95% of functional groups was confirmed with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. XTT tests confirmed that rGO hydrogels reduced biofilm formation by S. aureus (81–84%) and P. aeruginosa (50–62%). Fluorescence intensity also confirmed that rGO hydrogel can inhibit biofilm bacteria in C. elegans experiments. This study implied that rGO hydrogel is an effective antibiofilm agent for infected wounds.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) for the 'Arus Perdana' Grand Challenges research funds (Grant no: AP-2017-008/4). Special thanks to Tissue Engineering Centre UKM, Medical Molecular Biology Institute UKM, Faculty of Pharmacy UKM, Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia and National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA)for the research facilities and support.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.