Biosynthesis of fosfomycin-loaded CuO nanoparticles: evaluation of antibacterial, antibiofilm properties and molecular docking analysis against biofilm-associated proteins in MDR bacteria.

Background: Infectious diseases caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a significant challenge in healthcare. The development of new antibiotics, while essential, is often hindered by the complexity, cost, and time involved in the process. An alternative approach gaining traction is the conjugation of existing antibiotics with potent antimicrobial agents to improve their efficacy against resistant pathogens. Objective: This study aimed to develop environmentally sustainable and cost-effective copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) synthesized using bioactive compounds extracted from Methods: These nanoparticles were subsequently conjugated with fosfomycin. Physicochemical characterization was carried out using XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), FTIR, and UV-Visible spectroscopy. Release was studied using Franz diffusion cell. Antibacterial efficacy of the pure and fosfomycin-conjugated copper oxide nanoparticles (Fos-CuO NPs) was evaluated against multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains of Results: The physicochemical analysis confirmed successful CuO NPs synthesis and their conjugation with fosfomycin. XRD results confirmed the crystalline structure of the nanoparticles, while SEM revealed some agglomerated, irregular spherical shapes. Fos-CuO NPs exhibited greater antibacterial activity against MDR Conclusion: This research offers significant insights into the green synthesis of fosfomycin-conjugated nanoparticles for addressing the growing challenge of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.