Actinobacteria mediated synthesis of bio-conjugate of carbon dot with enhanced biological activity

It is a challenging and daunting task of discovering antibiotics. Hence, it is paramount to put efforts in increasing the efficiency of the currently available antimicrobial compounds. In this work, we have successfully synthesized carbon dots from propolis (natural resinous mixture produced by honey bees) and conjugated them with extracellular metabolites of Actinobacteria. We demonstrate for the first time that by conjugating it with carbon dots synthesized from propolis, the properties of extracellular metabolites of Actinobacteria can be enhanced. Actinobacteria-propolis carbon dots conjugate (AEx-pCDs), the microbial activity is better than rifampicin which was taken as a positive control. The mechanistic insight into efficient activity shown by Actinobacteria-propolis carbon dots conjugate (AEx-pCDs) is also discussed.