Enhanced Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy against Escherichia coli Using MXene-Based Silver–Curcumin 2D Nanocomposite Photosensitizers

The increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria poses a significant threat to public health. Addressing this challenge requires the development of innovative antimicrobial materials. In this context, MXene-based nanomaterials have emerged as promising candidates for advanced healthcare applications. The photodynamic therapy (aPDT) was evaluated to investigate the antibacterial potential and efficacy of MXene–silver–curcumin (NC) nanocomposites. Nanocomposites are novel photoactive nanomaterials. The synthesis of composites includes a chemical synthesis route and green synthesis and followed by complete characterization of the materials to evaluate their morphological, optical, and cell viability against rhabdomyosarcoma tumor (RD) cell lines. The layered MXene nanosheets depicted in the SEM images were loaded with silver nanoparticles and curcumin. The nanoscale structure and dispersibility in aqueous media were evaluated through dynamic light scattering (DLS), UV–Visible spectroscopy, and fluorescence studies, indicating an approximate hydrodynamic diameter of 220 nm. The bonding among MXene, silver, and curcumin were confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. In antibacterial activity, a strong inhibition zone of 15.01 mm was observed against Escherichia . Cytotoxicity data from the MTT experiment demonstrate that MXene-silver-curcumin NC exhibited limited cell death and minimal toxicity, particularly at lower dosages (31µg/mL) 92%, when compared to the control. On the exposure of 418 nm light on composites, the concentration and light dependent aPDT effects were observed, where the bacterial killing was significantly higher at concentration of 500 ug/mL, and this was explained by the combined effects of MXene conductivity, silver plasmonic enhancement, and curcumin photosensitization.