Single-Atom Cu Anchored on Carbon Nitride as a Bifunctional Glucose Oxidase and Peroxidase Nanozyme for Antibacterial Therapy

Abstract

A very promising strategy to avoid bacterial drug resistance is to replace antibiotics with artificial nanozymes, but this has not yet been translated to the clinic. Here, we construct a single-atom nanozyme using graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets modified by copper (Cu-g-C₃N₄). This Cu-g-C₃N₄ nanosheet possesses both glucose oxidase-like and peroxidase-like activities responsible for reactive-oxygen-species generation by a cascade reaction to eradicate Gram-positive and Gram-negative multidrug-resistant bacteria. Cu-g-C₃N₄ is introduced into polycaprolactone (PCL) by electrospinning to obtain (Cu-g-C₃N₄/PCL) nanofibers, which can be used as a dressing for bacterially infected wounds. It is demonstrated that Cu-g-C₃N₄/PCL nanofiber dressings can eradicate bacterial infections and accelerate wound healing in a mouse model with a skin wound.