Fotokatalytiska nanopartiklars växelverkan med bakteriemembran för antimikrobiell effekt

The purpose of the project is to elucidate mechanisms underlying oxidative degradation of key components in bacterial cell walls, notably phospholipids and lipopolysaccharides, as well as how this translates into antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects of photocatalytic nanomaterials.

Addressing this, TiO2 and g-C3N4 nanoparticles will be investigated regarding their effects on bacteria-mimicking phospholipid membranes and bacterial lipopolysaccharides.

In doing so, the content and nature of anionic lipids and presence of cholesterol in model membranes will be systematically varied, as will the length and composition of lipopolysaccharides from Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.

Scattering and surface chemistry techniques will be employed to investigate structural and compositional effects on exposure to photocatalytic nanoparticles in the absence and presence of illumination.

The physicochemical results will be correlated to antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and cell toxicity effects of the photocatalytic nanoparticles.

In addition, loading the particles with antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) will be used to boost selectivity for bacterial cell walls.

Through this, we aim to contribute to a mechanistic understanding of how photocatalytic nanoparticles can be designed to potently destabilize bacterial membranes without causing adverse effects, e.g., related to oxidative destabilization of human cell membranes or release of inflammatory lipopolysaccharide fragments.