Bacterial infections may lead to diverse acute or chronic diseases (e.g., inflammation, sepsis and cancer). New antibiotics against bacteria are rarely discovered in recent years, which necessitates the exploration of new antibacterial agents. Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have been extensively studied for antibacterial use because of their long lasting killing effects in wide spectra of bacteria. Graphene oxide (GO) is one of the most widely studied ENMs and exhibit strong bactericidal effects. The physicochemical properties of GO play important roles in bacterial killing by triggering a cascade of toxic events. Many studies have explored the signaling pathways of GO in bacteria. Although molecular initiating events (MIEs) of GO in bacteria dominate its killing efficiency as well as toxicity mechanisms, they have been rarely reviewed. In this report, we discussed the structure–activity relationships (SARs) involved in GO-induced bacterial killing and the MIEs including redox reaction with biomolecules, mechanical destruction of membranes and catalysis of extracellular metabolites. Furthermore, we summarized the clinical or commercial applications of GO-based antibacterial products and discussed their biosafety in mammal. Finally, we reviewed the remaining challenges in GO for antibacterial applications, which may offer new insights for the development of nano antibacterial studies.

细菌感染可能导致多种急性或慢性疾病（例如炎症、败血症和癌症）。近年来很少发现针对细菌的新抗生素，这就需要探索新的抗菌剂。工程纳米材料 (ENM) 已被广泛研究用于抗菌，因为它们对广谱细菌具有持久的杀灭作用。氧化石墨烯 (GO) 是研究最广泛的 ENM 之一，具有很强的杀菌作用。GO 的物理化学特性通过触发一系列毒性事件在细菌杀灭中发挥重要作用。许多研究探索了 GO 在细菌中的信号通路。尽管 GO 在细菌中的分子起始事件 (MIE) 决定了其杀灭效率和毒性机制，但很少对其进行审查。在本报告中，我们讨论了 GO 诱导的细菌杀灭中涉及的构效关系 (SAR) 和 MIE，包括与生物分子的氧化还原反应、膜的机械破坏和细胞外代谢物的催化。此外，我们总结了基于 GO 的抗菌产品的临床或商业应用，并讨论了它们在哺乳动物中的生物安全性。最后，我们回顾了 GO 在抗菌应用方面的剩余挑战，这可能为纳米抗菌研究的发展提供新的见解。我们总结了基于 GO 的抗菌产品的临床或商业应用，并讨论了它们在哺乳动物中的生物安全性。最后，我们回顾了 GO 在抗菌应用方面的剩余挑战，这可能为纳米抗菌研究的发展提供新的见解。我们总结了基于 GO 的抗菌产品的临床或商业应用，并讨论了它们在哺乳动物中的生物安全性。最后，我们回顾了 GO 在抗菌应用方面的剩余挑战，这可能为纳米抗菌研究的发展提供新的见解。