Development of Folic Acid Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes for Efficient Delivery of Curcumin and Quercetin Against Pathogenic Bacteria

Drug-resistant bacteria pose an alarming risk to public health globally. Specifically, infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-positive bacteria (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus) are an increasing global health concerns. Herein, we report the first comparative evaluation of folic acid functionalized carbon nanotubes (FA-OMC) loaded with curcumin and quercetin to enhance their efficacies against gram positive MDR S. aureus and E. coli. The carbon nanotubes were oxidized and underwent successive carbodimide coupling and passive drug entrapments to achieve the drug loaded nanocomposites, which were further characterized with TGA, PXRD, SEM, AFM, FTIR, and DLS. The drug release kinetics as well as the cytotoxic evaluation and antibacterial studies were also evaluated. The results revealed that our drug loaded nanocomposites showed high drug entrapment, wrecked layered in morphology, nano range in size, possess negative zeta potential, low PDI values, higher thermal stability and partial crystallinity. FTIR analysis of the drug loaded nanocomposites shows the possible interaction between drug and nanotubes. The developed formulations (Cur-FA-OMC and Que-FA-OMC) revealed extended drug release and higher biocompatibility against tested NIH/3T3 cells. The antimicrobial assessment of drug loaded nanoparticles against gram positive bacteria showed significant bactericidal efficacy as compared to drug alone and their morphological disruption were also confirmed by AFM microscopy. The outcomes of our study suggests that our developed drug loaded nanoformulations could be a viable option for reversing MDR bacteria. More research needed in future to consolidate these findings.

Graphical Abstract