Fabrication of hierarchical 3D Ag/Bi2S3 nanoflowers for antibacterial application

Bacterial drug resistance caused by the abuse of antibiotics poses a serious threat to human health. Thus, the development of alternative strategies for the replacing of antibiotics is necessary. Herein, a hierarchical three-dimensional Bi 2 S 3 (BS) nanoflowers were facile fabricated and employed as supporter for the growth of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). Combining the excellent antimicrobial activity of Ag NPs, the as-resulted Ag/BS exhibited broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria. Investigation on antibacterial mechanism revealed the treatment of Ag/BS damages the bacterial cell membrane , leading to the loss of intracellular substances. The compromised membrane caused the reduction of membrane bound enzymes activity , resulting in the arrest of metabolic activity. Simultaneously, Ag/BS broke the bacterial antioxidant defense system by raising the intracellular ROS levels, caused the oxidative damage , resulting in the loss of bacterial viability. Moreover, the satisfactory biocompatibility and effective antibacterial performance of Ag/BS were confirmed by performing in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo antibacterial assay. Accordingly, this work opens up possibility for the construction of Bi 2 S 3 based multifunctional nanomaterials and its application for pathogenic bacteria control.