Microwave-Assisted Synthesized ZnO@APTES Quantum Dots Exhibits Potent Antibacterial Efficacy Against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Without Inducing Resistance

作者：Fangyuan Du, Jingqi Niu, Yu Hong, Xue Fang, Zhi-Hui Geng, Jing Liu, Feng Xu, Tingshu Liu, Qifan Chen, Jingbo Zhai, Beiliang Miao, Shiwei Liu, Yi Zhang, Zeliang Chen · 发表于：International Journal of Nanomedicine · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.2147/ijn.s498672 · 被引用次数：10 · 研究领域：Carbon and Quantum Dots Applications、Nanoparticles: synthesis and applications、Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics

Background: Antibiotic resistance of many bacteria, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), has become a major threat to global health. Zinc Oxide Quantum dots (ZnO-QDs) show good antibacterial activity, but most of them are insoluble in water, limiting their application range, and there is a lack of research on drug resistance inducement. Methods: The water-soluble zinc oxide quantum dots modified by APTES (ZnO@APTES QDs) were prepared by a microwave assisted synthesis. Then ZnO@APTES QDs were characterized through various methods. After confirmation of synthesized ZnO@APTES QDs, its bactericidal effect on MRSA was detected through in vitro and in vivo experiments, and its mechanism of action was analyzed. Results: Characterization analysis revealed that the ZnO@APTES QDs have a particle size of 5 nm. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined to be 64 μg mL − 1 for Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) and 32 μg mL − 1 for MRSA. The ZnO@APTES QDs showed significant inhibition of MRSA biofilm formation and effectively disrupted mature biofilms. Notably, the ZnO@APTES QDs did not induce tolerance or resistance even after 30 days of repeated exposure, whereas antibiotics led to a rise in bacterial MIC within 3 days and a 60-fold increase after 30 days. Mechanistic analysis indicated that the positively charged quantum dots interact with bacterial surfaces, altering membrane fluidity. Once inside the bacteria, the ZnO@APTES QDs generate reactive ox...