Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Probes for the Characterization of Biofilm-Degrading Enzymes Demonstrated against Extracellular Matrices.

Hydrolase co-therapies that degrade biofilm extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) allow for a better diffusion of antibiotics and more effective treatment; current methods for quantitatively measuring the enzymatic degradation of EPS are not amendable to high-throughput screening. Herein, we present biofilm EPS-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) probes for rapid screening of hydrolytic enzyme selectivity and activity on EPS. The extent of biofilm EPS degradation is quantified by monitoring the quenching of the SWCNT fluorescence.