Antimicrobial Peptide-Coated Molybdenum Disulfide Nanoparticles for Enhanced Antimicrobial Effect and Biofilm Eradication

To address the growing threat of drug-resistant bacteria and their biofilm-associated infections, we developed molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanoparticles coated with antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). The MoS₂/AMP composite nanoparticles, synthesized through electrostatic phase interaction, maintained an impressive photothermal-conversion efficiency of 32.3%. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of the MoS₂/AMP nanoparticles against multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were approximately 78 and 64 μg/mL, respectively, under 808 nm near-infrared light irradiation for 5 min. Furthermore, around 90% of the biofilm was effectively ablated with 128 μg/mL of the composite nanoparticles under the same irradiation conditions. These composite nanoparticles demonstrated remarkable antibacterial and biofilm-eradication capabilities by harnessing the united effects of photothermal action and AMPs. Hemolysis and cytotoxicity assays showed that AMP-coated MoS₂ significantly diminished the hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity associated with AMP. This work suggests a potentially effective strategy for facilitating the commercial application of AMPs, and the composite nanoparticles MoS₂/AMP hold considerable promise for antibacterial treatment of chronic infected wounds, biofilm elimination, and the mitigation of antibiotic resistance.