Published Paper Details:

Acinetobacter baumannii represents a significant nosocomial pathogen with increasing clinical importance due to its environmental persistence and potential for rapid resistance development, and whilst current antimicrobial research predominantly focuses on multidrug-resistant strains, there is a critical need for proactive development of novel antimicrobial agents before resistance emerges. Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have demonstrated promising antimicrobial properties against various pathogens through unique mechanisms, including reactive oxygen species generation and membrane disruption; however, no comprehensive studies have evaluated the direct antibacterial activity of GQDs specifically against A. baumannii. The synthesised GQDs exhibited excellent physicochemical properties with spherical morphology and appropriate size distribution, confirmed through comprehensive characterisation using UV spectroscopy, FTIR, XRD, and FESEM analyses. GQDs demonstrated significant antibacterial activity against A. baumannii with dose-dependent zone inhibition diameters ranging from 12-24 mm at concentrations of 25-100 ?g/mL when tested using standardised disc diffusion assays with aminoglycosides as positive control and nuclease-free water as negative control. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined to be 45 ?g/mL through broth microdilution in 96-well plates with two-fold serial dilutions, whilst the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was established at 65 ?g/mL. This study represents the first comprehensive evaluation of GQDs against A. baumannii, demonstrating potent direct antibacterial activity and offering a promising novel antimicrobial platform with significant potential for clinical translation in managing A. baumannii infections in healthcare settings. The findings contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting GQDs as effective antimicrobial agents and establish a foundation for future research exploring their therapeutic applications against this important nosocomial pathogen.