EGCG-coated silver nanoparticles self-assemble with selenium nanowires for treatment of drug-resistant bacterial infections by generating ROS and disrupting biofilms

Abstract Bacterial infections pose a serious threat to human health, and the development of new antibiotics has not kept pace with the development of bacterial resistance. Therefore, there is an urgent need to design antibiotic-like nano-formulations that break through bacterial resistance mechanisms. In this work, we successfully synthesized a safe and effective antibacterial nano-formulation of Se@Ag@EGCG by self-assembly of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)-coated silver nanoparticles (Ag) on the surface of selenium nanowires (Se). The in vitro bacteriostatic results showed that 40 μ g ml −1 Se@Ag@EGCG had significant antibacterial activity against drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ) and Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) by destroying the formation of bacterial biofilm, promoting the production of high concentration reactive oxygen species and destroying bacterial cell wall. In addition, the results of in vivo antibacterial experiments showed that subcutaneous administration of 10 mg kg −1 of Se@Ag@EGCG could promote wound healing by reducing apoptosis and inflammatory responses in infected wounds. It is worth mentioning that the reduced and modified Se@Ag@EGCG by this natural product has negligible in vivo toxicity. This development strategy of nano-antibacterial materials, which breaks through the drug resistance mechanism, provides new ideas for the development of drugs for drug-resistant bacterial infections.