Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42702690›Full record

ArticleInternational microbiology : the official journal of the Spanish Society for Microbiology2026

Glucosamine functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes as potential antibacterial molecules.

Noor Akbar, Jasra Gul, Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui, Saira Yasmeen, Asia Naz Awan, Tooba Jabri, Muhammad Raza Shah, Naveed Ahmed Khan

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Article in International microbiology : the official journal of the Spanish Society for Microbiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Noor AkbarSchool of Science, College of Science and Engineering, University of Derby, Derby, DE22 1GB, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8114-1969
Jasra GulInternational Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, Karachi, 74200, Pakistan.
Ruqaiyyah SiddiquiMicrobiota Research Center, Istinye University, Istanbul, 34010, Turkey.
Saira YasmeenInternational Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, Karachi, 74200, Pakistan.
Asia Naz AwanDepartment of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan.
Tooba JabriInternational Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, Karachi, 74200, Pakistan.
Muhammad Raza ShahInternational Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, Karachi, 74200, Pakistan.
Naveed Ahmed KhanSchool of Science, College of Science and Engineering, University of Derby, Derby, DE22 1GB, UK. naveedrism@gmail.com.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7667-8553

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance represents a critical global health challenge driven by the widespread misuse of antimicrobials and the rapid evolution of multidrug-resistant pathogens. Conventional antibiotics are increasingly limited by poor stability, low bioavailability, toxicity, and reduced efficacy. This study investigates the potential of carbon nanotube-based nanocarriers to enhance antibiotic delivery and efficacy against resistant bacteria. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes were oxidized and functionalized with glucosamine, followed by loading with two antibiotics, ethacridine lactate and sulfamethoxazole, to form nanoconjugates. Characterization studies confirmed successful functionalization and drug loading. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated distinct weight losses corresponding to surface modifications, while Fourier transform infrared spectra verified amide bond formation and drug-nanocarrier interactions. Scanning electron microscopy revealed increased surface roughness and structural defects after functionalization. UV-Vis spectroscopy demonstrated high encapsulation efficiencies (85.37% for ethacridine lactate and 93.69% for sulfamethoxazole). Dynamic light scattering demonstrated hydrodynamic diameters ranging from 127 to 429 nm, moderate polydispersity, and stable negative zeta potentials (-17 to -23 mV), confirming colloidal stability. Biological evaluation against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria demonstrated that drug-loaded nanoconjugates exhibited significantly enhanced antibacterial activity compared to free drugs and individual nanomaterials. The nanoconjugate EL-GA-OMC achieved complete (100%) bacterial inhibition across all tested bacterial strains, while SMX-GA-OMC showed significantly enhanced antibacterial activity compared to the drugs alone. Half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) analysis further confirmed increased potency, with EL-GA-OMC exhibiting the lowest IC₅₀ value (10.20 ± 0.19 µg/mL) against E. coli K1, and 10.74 ± 0.05 µg/mL against S. pneumoniae, indicating superior efficacy at reduced doses. Cytotoxicity analysis using human endothelial cells (HBEC-5i) revealed that nanoconjugates exhibited low cytotoxicity, in contrast to the significant toxicity observed with drug alone. Overall, these findings demonstrate that glucosamine-functionalized carbon nanotubes represent an effective drug delivery system that enhances antibacterial activity while exhibiting low cytotoxicity. These findings support the potential application of glucosamine-functionalized carbon nanotubes as antibiotic delivery platforms for the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.

Indexed as

Antibacterial activityAntibiotic resistanceCarbon nanotubes (CNTs)CytotoxicityNanoconjugates

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.