{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,5]],"date-time":"2026-11-05T17:35:08Z","timestamp":1793900108080,"version":"4.8.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,17]],"date-time":"2025-11-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1763337600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University Researchers","award":["PNURSP2025R340"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PNURSP2025R340"]}]},{"name":"Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pharmaceutics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) presents a serious hurdle in combating antibiotic-resistant skin infections. This study aimed to repurpose losartan potassium (LOS) through its incorporation into cerosomal nanocarriers (CERs) and further functionalization with carbon dots (CDs) to enhance antibacterial efficacy. Methods: LOS-CERs were fabricated by the thin-film hydration method and further optimized using a D-optimal mixture design. Results: The optimized CERs, composed of phytantriol (20 mg), ceramide (30 mg), and CTAB (20 mg), exhibited high entrapment efficiency (97.07 \u00b1 0.07%), a nanoscale particle size (372.50 \u00b1 0.50 nm), and a positive zeta potential (+33.24 \u00b1 0.04 mV). FT-IR analysis confirmed successful conjugation of CDs to CERs through surface functional interactions. Ex vivo permeation and confocal microscopy studies demonstrated that the CD-CER formulation sustained LOS release and enhanced its deposition within skin layers compared with the LOS solution. Using a murine model of MRSA USA300-induced skin infection, the CD-CER formulation achieved superior antibacterial efficacy, reducing the bacterial load by 3.85 log10 CFU relative to the untreated control, compared with a 3.04 log10 CFU reduction for the LOS solution. Histological evaluation supported improved healing in CD-CER-treated groups. Conclusions: Overall, CD-functionalized CERs offer a promising multifunctional nanoplatform for repurposing LOS as a topical therapeutic against MRSA-associated skin infections.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pharmaceutics17111483","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,17]],"date-time":"2025-11-17T14:04:07Z","timestamp":1763388247000},"page":"1483","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Overcoming MRSA Antibiotic Resistance Through Losartan Repurposing with Carbon Dot\u2013Conjugated Cerosomal Nanocarriers"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1675-335X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yasmina","family":"Elmahboub","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology, Giza 12585, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rofida","family":"Albash","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology, Giza 12585, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3635-9093","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ahmed M.","family":"Agiba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey 64849, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7972-9827","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mariam","family":"Hassan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo 11562, Egypt"},{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Galala University, New Galala City, Suez 43511, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haneen Waleed","family":"Mohamed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology, Giza 12585, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-4906-798X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mohamed Safwat","family":"Hassan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology, Giza 12585, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Roaa Mohamed","family":"Ali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology, Giza 12585, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-8179-1602","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yara E.","family":"Shalabi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology, Giza 12585, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hend Mahmoud Abdelaziz","family":"Omran","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology, Giza 12585, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8503-6886","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ahmed Adel","family":"Alaa-Eldin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Fayoum University, Faiyum 2933051, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1776-9249","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jawaher Abdullah","family":"Alamoudi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6286-319X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Asmaa","family":"Saleh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4195-6036","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amira B.","family":"Kassem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22514, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5918-9870","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Moaz A.","family":"Eltabeeb","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Industrial Pharmacy, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology, Giza 12585, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Tahmasebi, H., Arjmand, N., Monemi, M., Babaeizad, A., Alibabaei, F., Alibabaei, N., Bahar, A., Oksenych, V., and Eslami, M. 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