Anti-Biofilm Activity of Graphene Quantum Dots via Self-Assembly with Bacterial Amyloid Proteins

Bacterial biofilms represent an essential part of Earth’s ecosystem that can cause multiple ecological, technological and health problems. The environmental resilience and sophisticated organization of biofilms are enabled by the extracellular matrix that creates a protective network of biomolecules around the bacterial community. Current anti-biofilm agents can interfere with extracellular matrix production but, being based on small molecules, are degraded by bacteria and rapidly diffuse away from biofilms. Both factors severely reduce their efficacy, while their toxicity to higher organisms create additional barriers to their practicality. In this paper we report on the ability of graphene quantum dots to effectively disperse mature amyloid-rich Staphylococcus aureus biofilms, interfering with the self-assembly of amyloid fibers - a key structural component of the extracellular matrix. Mimicking peptide-binding biomolecules, graphene quantum dots form supramolecular complexes with phenol soluble modulin...