Study of antibacterial activity of copper zinc nanocomposites and disruption of bacterial cytoplasmic membrane.

In recent years, the widespread use of antibiotics has led to the emergence of numerous drug-resistant bacteria, posing a severe threat to both human health and the economy. As a result, it is imperative to develop efficient antibacterial agents that do not induce drug resistance. This study employed layer-by-layer assembly technology to prepare ZnFe2O4@ZnS/Cu2S (ZZC) nanocomposites Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli), Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and drug-resistant Salmonella (T-Salmonella) were utilized as test bacteria to investigate the antibacterial effectiveness and mechanism of ZZC. The findings demonstrated that, the MIC of the ZZC against E. coli, S. aureus and T-Salmonella were 50, 60 and 80 μg/mL, respectively; At a material concentration of 200 μg/mL and a reaction time of 80 min, ZZC demonstrated a bacteriostatic rate of 99.99% against the three tested bacteria. The nano-composite can disrupt cell walls and plasma membranes and effectively and resulting in bacterial rupture and demise. Furthermore, the nano-composite displayed strong biocompatibility and was also able to heal mixed bacterial-induced wound infections and essentially eliminated the bacterial burden after 9 days, and also exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity in vivo. The results also indicate significant potential for its application in medical materials and other areas of research.