Good Photothermal Performance Research Articles

Exploring the potential of nanoparticles-based polydopamine for effective treatment of refractory keratitis: Mild photothermal loop therapy

Keratitis is the leading cause of blindness worldwide. In refractory cases, it can even lead to eyeball enucleation. The critical challenges of refractory keratitis are the drug-resistant bacteria and bacterial biofilms formation. Therefore, we established an innovative therapeutic approach for keratitis based on mild photothermal loop (MPL) therapy. First, we analyzed the bactericidal effect of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) under various loops and temperature durations to determine the optimal condition. Then, RAN-seq was applied to explore the underlying mechanisms. Additionally, we formulated a dual-purpose polyvinyl alcohol-polydopamine (PDA/PVA) hydrogel system and explored its effects on the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging capability, antibacterial properties, and anti-inflammatory properties in vitro, as well as its effect in vivo. The results indicated substantial bactericidal properties after exposure in four loops, each lasting 10 min at 45 °C. RNA-seq revealed the altered genes related to virulence and biofilm formation. In addition to good photothermal performance, the PDA/PVA system could effectively eliminate MRSA, reduce ROS, inhibit biofilm formation, and decrease inflammatory factors expression. Moreover, the in vivo results demonstrated the potential of MPL for bacterial keratitis. This study serves as the first attempt to use MPL therapy for refractory keratitis, offering a new approach for clinical practice.

Versatile Thermo-Sensitive liposomes with HSP inhibition and Anti-Inflammation for synergistic Chemo-Photothermal to inhibit breast cancer metastasis

Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a prospective therapeutic method for breast cancer. However, excess inflammatory response induced by PTT may aggravate tumor metastasis. Meanwhile, the overexpressed heat shock proteins (HSPs) by cancer cells can protect them from hyperthermia during PTT. Therefore, to attenuate the PTT-induced inflammation and inhibit tumor metastasis, a folate receptor-targeted thermo-sensitive liposome (BI-FA-LP) co-loading Berberine (BBR) and Indocyanine green (ICG) was developed. BI-FA-LP utilized enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect and FA receptor-mediated endocytosis to selectively accumulate at tumor, reducing off-target toxicity during the treatment. After targeting to the tumor site, BBR and ICG were released from BI-FA-LP upon laser irradiation, and ICG showed good photothermal performance, while BBR inhibited HSP70 and HSP90 expression during PTT, exerting chemo-photothermal synergetic anti-tumor effect. Moreover, BBR could suppress the PTT induced inflammation, thus inhibiting tumor metastasis and ameliorating tissue injury. Thus, this versatile liposome provided a new strategy to enhance PTT and anti-inflammatory effects for breast cancer treatment.

Biodegradable MXene Quantum Dots with High Near-Infrared Photothermal Performance for Cancer Treatment.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) offers significant potential in cancer treatment due to its short, simple, and less harmful nature. However, obtaining a photothermal agent (PTA) with good photothermal performance and biocompatibility remains a challenge. MXenes, which are PTAs, have shown promising results in cancer treatment. This study presents the preparation of Ti3C2 MXene quantum dots (MXene QDs) using a simple hydrothermal and ultrasonic method and their use as a PTA for cancer treatment. Compared to conventional MXene QDs synthesized using only the hydrothermal method, the ultrasonic process increased the degree of oxidation on the surface of the MXene QDs. This resulted in the presence of more hydrophilic groups such as hydroxyl groups on the MXene QD surfaces, leading to excellent dispersion in the aqueous system and biocompatibility of the prepared MXene QDs without the need for surface modification. The MXene QDs showed great photothermal performance with a photothermal conversion efficiency of 62.5%, resulting in the highest photothermal conversion efficiency among similar materials reported thus far. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments have proved the potent tumor inhibitory effect of the MXene QD-mediated PTT, with minimal harm to mice. Therefore, these MXene QDs hold a significant promise for clinical applications.

Stability, Thermophysical, Optical and Photothermal Properties of ZnO Nanofluids with Added Anionic/Cationic Mixed Surfactants

Metal oxide nanofluid is a new type of heat transfer medium with good thermal performance, which can be used to improve the heat collection and photothermal conversion performance of the collector. The development of new nanofluids with excellent stability, thermophysical and photothermal properties is very important for solar thermal utilization. In this paper, the ZnO nanofluids with SDS/CTAB mixed surfactants were prepared by two-step method. Their stability, thermophysical, optical and photothermal properties were studied based on experimental data. Then, the optimum concentration and preparation conditions of the proposed ZnO nanofluids adding SDS/CTAB with good photothermal performance were obtained. The results showed that the ZnO nanofluids with the addition of SDS/CTAB hybrid surfactant has good dispersion stability and its thermal conductivity can reach 0.772 W/(m·K). The transmittance was as low as 19.0.10% and the extinction coefficient was as high as 7.25 cm−1. In addition, the addition of the SDS/CTAB hybrid surfactant caused the ZnO nanofluids to exhibit better photothermal conversion efficiency up to 87%, which was superior to that of the control group with the addition of other surfactants. Therefore, ZnO nanofluids with the addition of SDS/CTAB have great potential as DASC working fluids.

Highly Sensitive and Stable Flexible Smart Sensors Based on Commercial Carbon Fiber Powder Inks.

With the fast development of the smart lifestyle in recent years, simple and flexible body condition monitoring has become more and more important. However, currently, commercially available motion-sensing devices always lack flexibility or at a high cost. This article has fully explored the merits of a commercial and easily available material of carbon fiber powder (CFP) and prepared CFP-based screen printing inks. This conductive ink can be directly and quickly printed onto a variety of different flexible common substrates, such as paper, cotton fabrics, etc., to prepare flexible sensors. At the same time, as a result of the good photothermal performance and conductivity of CFP, the printed flexible sensors have fast and stable performance on thermal and human motion detection. The use of CFP as the smart element to construct a wearable device will offer a choice for the intelligent industry.

A bimetallic dual-targeting nanoplatform for combinational ferroptosis activation/epigenetic regulation/photothermal therapy against breast cancer and tumor microenvironment remodeling

Restricted by the complex intracellular ferroptosis regulatory networks, single ferroptotic therapy against breast cancer (BC) yields limited therapeutic outcomes. Therefore, novel combination modes are being widely attempted; however, the interactions between different treatments are still less studied. Herein, we propose a combinational pattern by constructing a novel nanoplatform (T-FeCo/P) composed of Panobinostat (histone deacetylase inhibitor)-loaded iron (Fe)/cobalt (Co)-based metal-organic framework with surface modification of telmisartan for dual 4T1 cell/cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) targeting. T-FeCo/P exhibits good photothermal performance and forcefully triggers cellular ferroptosis, and the dopant of Fe realizes stronger ferroptosis activation than the corresponding single-metal system. Interestingly, for the first time, Panobinostat is elucidated to promote ferroptosis by inhibiting SLC7A11 transcription and regulating thioredoxin binding protein 2 (TBP2)/thioredoxin (Trx) axis. For tumor microenvironment (TME) remodeling, T-FeCo/P specifically kills CAFs, thus destroying extracellular matrix and retarding C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) secretion, which are beneficial to intratumoral drug penetration and cytotoxic T lymphocyte infiltration. Also, this CAF elimination probably sensibilizes ferroptosis by regulating neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2)-yes associated protein (YAP) pathway and reducing myeloid-derived suppressor cell infiltration. Our experimental data support T-FeCo/P’s tumoricidal activity thanks to the combined ferroptosis activation, epigenetic regulation, photothermal therapy and TME re-education, providing a mighty pattern for BC treatment and constituting a substantial addition to ferroptosis sensitization.

A near-infrared light-promoted self-healing photothermally conductive polycarbonate elastomer based on Prussian blue and liquid metal for sensors

Composite elastomers with elasticity, conductivity, and self-healing properties have gained tremendous interest due to the imperative demands in the fields of stretchable electronics and soft robotics. However, the self-healing performance and the amount of filler are contradictory. Herein, a new conductive self-healing composite elastomer is developed by uniformly dispersing EGaIn droplets and Prussian blue nanoparticles (PBNPs) in a bran-new elastomer which cross-linked the linear polymer that obtained by ring-opening polymerization of trimethylene carbonate and 5-methyl-5-carboxytrimethylene carbonate initiated by polyethylene glycol by aluminum chloride. As confirmed by FT-IR and XPS, the cross-linking network of the composite elastomer is composed of hydrogen bonds and coordination bonds sheared between aluminum and carboxyl groups, and the coordination process was revealed by DFT calculations. This elastomer exhibits excellent light-to-heat conversion properties, thermal conductivity (1.207 W/mK), electrical conductivity (202.34 S·m−1), and good tensile properties that meet application requirements. The good photothermal performance enables the elastomer to self-heal rapidly under NIR irradiation (90.3 %), and accelerate the shape recovery of the elastomer. As a sensor, the elastomer demonstrates good sensitivity, capable of monitoring human movements and recognizing handwriting. This self-healable conductive elastomer has significant potential in the fields of damage-resistant flexible sensors and human-machine interface applications.

Graphene-wrapped petal-like gap-enhanced Raman tags for enhancing photothermal conversion and Raman imaging

Multifunctional nanoplatform that combine imaging, diagnostic, and therapeutic functions into a single agent have great significance for the early diagnosis and efficient treatment of diseases, particularly tumors. In this study, we report on a novel graphene-wrapped petal-like gap-enhanced Raman tags with mesoporous silica shells (MS-GP-GERTs). These MS-GP-GERTs have 4-NBT Raman reporters embedded in the gap between the gold nanocore and the petal-shaped shell and are wrapped in graphene and mesoporous silica. The results of photothermal measurement experiments show that graphene layers significantly enhanced the photothermal effect of gap-enhanced Raman tags (GERTs). The photothermal conversion efficiency of MS-GP-GERTs reaches 40.8%, comparable to pure graphene. Moreover, MS-GP-GERTs show good photothermal performance in agarose phantoms, heating the phantom to 47 °C within 5 min under a low power density laser (0.5 W/cm2). MS-GP-GERTs also exhibit excellent photothermal stability and physiological environment stability, making them a promising candidate for repeated photothermal therapy. Raman spectra and mapping imaging experiments demonstrate MS-GP-GERTs' low detection limit (100 fM), large imaging depth (2.74 mm), and excellent ability to image simulated biological tissue and cells. This novel Raman tag has the potential to become a multifunctional nano platform for integrating Raman imaging diagnosis and photothermal therapy.

Photothermally Enhanced Dual Enzyme‐mimic Activity of Gold‐Palladium Hybrid Nanozyme for Cancer Therapy

Comprehensive SummaryBased on characteristics of the tumor microenvironment (TME), including acidity, hypoxia, inflammation and hydrogen peroxide overload, combined with emerging nanotechnologies, designing nanoplatforms with TME specificity/responsiveness for tumor treatment is a promising nanotherapeutic strategy. In this work, a multifunctional gold‐palladium bimetallic cascade nanozyme was constructed for effective photothermal‐enhanced cascade catalyzed synergistic therapy of tumors. The dumbbell‐like Au‐Pd bimetallic nanomaterial (Au NRs‐Pd@HA) was obtained by reducing palladium on gold nanorods with ascorbic acid (AA) and further modified with hyaluronic acid (HA). The introduction of HA brings biocompatibility and targeting properties. The zebrafish embryos model showed that Au NRs‐Pd@HA had good biocompatibility and low biotoxicity. Au NRs‐Pd@HA can induce catalytic conversion of glucose to generate H2O2 efficiently, and subsequently undergo cascade reaction to produce abundant ·OH radicals, exhibiting peroxidase‐like (POD‐like) and glucose oxidase‐like (GOD‐like) capabilities. The generated ·OH was a key factor for tumor ablation. Meanwhile, Au NRs‐Pd@HA exhibits good photothermal performance under 808 nm irradiation, in favor of photothermal therapy (PTT). Especially, the POD‐like and GOD‐like activities were significantly enhanced due to the photothermal effect. The synergistic PTT and photothermal‐enhanced nanozymes with cascade catalytic effect enabled efficient and safe cancer therapy.

Recent progress on near-infrared fluorescence heptamethine cyanine dye-based molecules and nanoparticles for tumor imaging and treatment.

Recenly, near-infrared fluorescence heptamethine cyanine dyes have shown satisfactory values in bioengineering, biology, and pharmacy especially in cancer diagnosis and treatment, owing to their excellent fluorescence property and biocompatibility. In order to achieve broad application prospects, diverse structures, and chemical properties of heptamethine cyanine dyes have been designed to develop novel functional molecules and nanoparticles over the past decade. For fluorescence and photoacoustic tumor imaging properties, heptamethine cyanine dyes are equipped with good photothermal performance and reactive oxygen species production properties under near-infrared light irradiation, thus holding great promise in photodynamic and/or photothermal cancer therapies. This review offers a comprehensive scope of the structures, comparisons, and applications of heptamethine cyanine dyes-based molecules as well as nanoparticles in tumor treatment and imaging in current years. Therefore, this review may drive the development and innovation of heptamethine cyanine dyes, significantly offering opportunities for improving tumor imaging and treatment in a precise noninvasive manner. This article is categorized under: Diagnostic Tools > In Vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease.

Synthesis of near infrared absorbing cationic zinc aminophthalocyanine and its application as an efficient photo-sensitizing nanoparticle in anti-drug-resistant bacteria

The emergence of drug-resistant bacteria threatens human health, and photodynamic therapy and photothermal therapy are promising methods to eliminate drug-resistant bacteria. However, the key to photodynamic and photothermal therapy is efficient photosensitizers, which are not fully developed. Herein, a novel cationic zinc aminophthalocyanine, zinc tetrakis(dimethyloctylammonium bromide) phthalocyanine (DMAZnPc-C8), is synthesized and investigated. The structures of the cationic zinc aminophthalocyanines are characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen spectrum (1H NMR)，Mass spectrometry and X-ray spectroscopy. The singlet oxygen generation ability, photo-thermal properties and antibacterial properties against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) of cationic zinc aminophthalocyanine nanoparticles (DMAZnPc-C8 NP) in aqueous dispersion are investigated. The results show that the maximum ultraviolet absorption wavelength of DMAZnPc-C8 in DMSO is at 764 nm, and DMAZnPc-C8 shows good response to near-infrared light. DMAZnPc-C8 NP has good photo-thermal performance. After irradiation with an 808 nm laser (0.5 W/cm2) for 10 min, the temperature of DMAZnPc-C8 NP dispersion (0.05 mg/mL) is increased by 7.4 °C. And DMAZnPc-C8 NP has good singlet oxygen production capacity. DMAZnPc-C8 NP has excellent antibacterial effect against MRSA-resistant bacteria. When the concentration of DMAZnPc-C8 NP is 0.03 mg/mL, the growth of MRSA is almost completely inhibited after 10 min of laser irradiation at 808 nm (0.5 W/cm2), the antibacterial rate reach over 99 %. This study shows that cationic zinc aminophthalocyanine has promising application prospects in the field of anti-drug-resistant bacteria.

Preparation of a low-cost electric compensation photothermal evaporator for all-weather-available and efficient evaporation

Solar-driven evaporation is an ideal technology for freshwater production. However, in the actual production and application process, due to the fluctuation of solar radiant intensity, the limitation of solar lighting time and the generation of dirt, the solar evaporator can only work for a limited time. To realize the all-weather-available efficient application of the evaporator, we mixed slag, metakaolin, graphite, and potassium silicate evenly, added a certain amount of foaming agent, and adjusted its pore size and shape to prepare a low-cost electric compensation evaporator that can be used for all-weather-available efficient evaporation. The geopolymer in the evaporator acts as a support with good hydrophilicity, and graphite exhibits good photothermal performance. At 1 sun, the evaporation rate of the three-dimensional graphite/geopolymer composite (3D-GR/Geo) evaporator reaches up to 3.23 kg/m2/h, and its evaporation efficiency is 186.46%. When the solar-driven evaporation is assisted by an external electric field, the evaporation rate of the 3D-GR/Geo evaporator reaches up to 16.3 kg/m2/h. In addition, after 72 h of alternating tests at 1 sun and an applied current of 2A, no salt accumulates on the top of 3D-GR/Geo, and its quality change curve remains stable, showing excellent stability. This is also consistent with the simulation results, indicating that 3D-GR/Geo can be used effectively over a long period.

Highly‐Efficient Ion Gating through Self‐Assembled Two‐Dimensional Photothermal Metal‐Organic Framework Membrane

AbstractBiological ion channels regulate the ion flow across cell membrane via opening or closing of the pores in response to various external stimuli. Replicating the function of high ion gating effects with artificial porous materials has been challenging. Herein, we report that the self‐assembled two‐dimensional metal‐organic framework (MOF) membrane can serve as an excellent nanofluidic platform for smart regulation of ion transport. The MOF membrane with good photothermal performance exhibits extremely high ion gating ratio (up to 104), which is among the highest values in MOF membrane nanochannels for light‐controlled ion gating reported so far. By repeatedly turning on and off the light, the nanofluidic device shows outstanding stability and reversibility that can be applied in the remote light‐switching system. This work may spark promising applications of MOF membrane with variety of stimuli responsive properties in ion sieving, biosensing, and energy conversion.

Highly-Efficient Ion Gating through Self-Assembled Two-Dimensional Photothermal Metal-Organic Framework Membrane.

Biological ion channels regulate the ion flow across cell membrane via opening or closing of the pores in response to various external stimuli. Replicating the function of high ion gating effects with artificial porous materials has been challenging. Herein, we report that the self-assembled two-dimensional metal-organic framework (MOF) membrane can serve as an excellent nanofluidic platform for smart regulation of ion transport. The MOF membrane with good photothermal performance exhibits extremely high ion gating ratio (up to 104 ), which is among the highest values in MOF membrane nanochannels for light-controlled ion gating reported so far. By repeatedly turning on and off the light, the nanofluidic device shows outstanding stability and reversibility that can be applied in the remote light-switching system. This work may spark promising applications of MOF membrane with variety of stimuli responsive properties in ion sieving, biosensing, and energy conversion.

Fabrication of pH/photothermal-responsive ZIF-8 nanocarriers loaded with baicalein for effective drug delivery and synergistic chem-photothermal effects

Synergistic therapy has been confirmed to be a promising strategy for cancer treatment. Herein, we designed a pH-responsive, chemotherapeutic and photothermal synergistic drug delivery-nanocomposites (BA@ZIF-8-PDA-PEG, BZPP) based on ZIF-8. The synthesized nanocarriers had a loading capacity of 790 μg mg−1 for baicalein (BA) and performed excellent pH-triggered drug release behavior under the acidic condition of pH 5.0. Polydopamine (PDA) coating endowed the drug delivery system (DDS) with good photothermal performance, and the photothermal conversion efficiency (η) was 39.48% under 808 nm laser irradiation for 10 min. Then, PEGylation was performed using amino-terminated PEG (PEG-NH2) to provide high biocompatibility and stability. In addition, PEGylation and PDA-coating assisted in improving the hemolytic toxicity and cytotoxicity of bare nanocarriers. Furthermore, in vitro cellular studies showed that DDS of BZPP had excellent cellular internalization in A549 cells and enhanced synergistic anti-tumor ability to cancer cells compared to monotherapy. Therefore, BZPP can be used as a powerful chemo-photothermal synergistic therapy strategy to improve the insufficiency of mono-chemotherapy and has unexceptionable prospects for the therapy of tumor.

Combining dual-targeted liquid metal nanoparticles with autophagy activation and mild photothermal therapy to treat metastatic breast cancer and inhibit bone destruction.

Although mild photothermal therapy (mild-PTT) avoids treatment bottleneck of the traditional PTT, the application of mild-PTT in deep and internal tumors is severely restricted due to thermal resistance, limited irradiation area and penetration depth. In addition, bone resorption caused by tumor colonization in distal bone tissue exacerbates tumor progression. Here, a strategy was developed for the treatment of bone metastasis and alleviation of bone resorption, which was based on liquid metal (LM) nanoparticle to resist thermal resistance induced by mild-PTT via autophagy activation. Briefly, LM and autophagy activator (Curcumin, Cur) were loaded into zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), which was then functionalized with hyaluronic acid/alendronate (CLALN). CLALN exhibited good photothermal performance, drug release ability under acidic environment, specifical recognition and aggregation at bone metastasis sites. CLALN combined with mild-PPT dramatically inhibited tumor progress by inducing the impaired autophagy and reduced the expression of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) protein triggered by mild-PTT, resisting thermal resistance and alleviating the immunosuppression. Besides, CLALN combined with mild-PPT effectively alleviated osteolysis compared with only CLALN or mild-PPT. Our experiments demonstrated that this multi-functional LM-based nanoparticle combined with autophagy activation provided a promising therapeutic strategy for bone metastasis treatment. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Due to the limited light penetration, photothermal therapy (PTT) has limited inhibitory effect on tumor cells colonized in the bone. In addition, nonspecific heat diffusion of PTT may accidentally burn normal tissues and damage peripheral blood vessels, which can block the accumulation of drugs in deep tumors. Here, a multifunctional liquid metal based mild-PTT delivery system is designed to inhibit tumor growth and bone resorption by modulating the bone microenvironment and activating autophagy "on demand". It can overcome the treatment bottleneck of traditional PTT and improve the treatment effect of mild-PTT by resisting photothermal resistance and immune suppression. In addition, it also exhibits favorable heat/acid-responsive drug release performance and can specifically target tumor cells at the site of bone metastases.

Green synthesis of mesoporous and biodegradable iron silicide nanoparticles for photothermal cancer therapy.

Photothermal nanomaterials have shown great potential for photothermal therapy. In this study, we developed a simple green method of magnesiothermic co-reduction for the synthesis of mesoporous, magnetic and biodegradable iron silicide nanoparticles (FeSi NPs) as applied to photothermal therapy (PTT). Starting from biogenic tabasheer extracted from bamboo and Fe2O3, the resultant FeSi NPs with a much lower band gap exhibited excellent optical absorption with a photothermal conversion efficiency of 76.2%, indicating a good photothermal performance. The weight extinction coefficient was measured to be 13.3 L g-1 cm-1 at 1064 nm (second near-infrared window, NIR-II), which surpassed the performance of other competitive Si-based and Fe-based photothermal agents. Results of the cell viability assay showed that cells could be killed by NIR-II laser irradiation with the synthesized FeSi NPs. In vivo results on mice showed clearly an efficient suppression of tumour growth by photothermal treatment with FeSi NPs. FeSi NPs were found to be biodegradable in simulated body fluids. The results from our work indicate that FeSi NPs are a new class of promising photothermal agents (PTAs) for application in cancer therapy.

Self-Assembled CuCo2S4 Nanoparticles for Efficient Chemo-Photothermal Therapy of Arterial Inflammation

Cardiovascular disease caused by atherosclerosis (AS) seriously affects human health. Photothermal therapy (PTT) brings hope to the diagnosis and treatment of AS, with the development of nanotechnology. To improve treatment efficiency, self-assembled CuCo2S4 nanocrystals (NCs) were developed as a drug-delivery nanocarrier, triggered by near-infrared (NIR) light for efficient chemophotothermal therapy of arterial inflammation. The as-prepared self-assembled CuCo2S4 NCs exhibited excellent biocompatibility and a very high chloroquine (CL)-loading content. In addition, the self-assembled CuCo2S4 NCs/CL nanocomposites showed good photothermal performance, due to strong absorption in the NIR region, and the release of CL from the NCs/CL nanocomposites was driven by NIR light. When illuminated by NIR light, both PTT from the NCs and chemotherapy from the CL were simultaneously triggered, resulting in killing macrophages with a synergistic effect. Moreover, chemo-photothermal therapy with CuCo2S4 NCs/CL nanocomposites showed an effective therapeutic effect for arterial inflammation, in vivo. Our work demonstrated that chemo-photothermal therapy could be a promising strategy for the treatment of arterial inflammation against atherosclerosis.

Self-Assembled Corrole/Chitosan Photothermal Nanoparticles for Accelerating Infected Diabetic Wound Healing.

Microvascular dysfunction caused by hyperglycemia leads to slow healing of diabetic wounds and significantly increases the risk of bacterial infection. The misuse of antibiotics can also lead to bacterial resistance, making the management of diabetic wounds more challenging. Thus, developing new antibacterial agents or strategies to overcome antibiotic resistance is highly pursued. Herein, novel supramolecular photothermal nanoparticles (MCC/CS NPs), assembled from mono-carboxyl corrole (MCC) and chitosan via hydrogen bonding and π-π stacking, are developed and used for treating bacterial wound infection. The MCC molecules possess good photothermal performance and the chitosan with inherent bioactivity can exert moderate antibacterial effects. The aggregation of MCC in MCC/CS NPs induced by chitosan-templated self-assembly further quenches molecular fluorescence and realizes an extraordinary photothermal conversion efficiency of 66.4%. Moreover, the highly positively charged MCC/CS NPs can selectively target bacteria via electrostatic interactions. Under near-infrared laser irradiation, the MCC/CS NPs achieve potent photothermal and inherent antimicrobial synergistic effects against Escherichia coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in vitro. Furthermore, the bacteria-infected diabetic wound model confirms that the MCC/CS NPs can effectively kill drug-resistant bacteria, accelerate wound healing and angiogenesis, and show good biocompatibility, representing a novel and efficient photothermal antibacterial nanoplatform.

Near-Infrared-Activated MoS2(S)–Ag3PO4 Coating for Rapid Bacteria-Killing

Medical tools and implants used in clinics can be contaminated with bacteria even with disinfection treatment. To avert this situation, titanium (Ti) plates modified with a MoS2(S)–Ag3PO4 coating were designed to kill Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) effectively under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation. The introduction of Ag3PO4 nanoparticles (NPs) reduced the bandgap of MoS2 and suppressed the recombination of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs. Therefore, Ti–MoS2(S)–Ag3PO4 exhibited a higher photocatalytic performance, leading to the generation of more radical oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, cooperating with the good photothermal performance of MoS2, the MoS2(S)–Ag3PO4 coating exhibited a high antibacterial efficacy of 99.76 ± 0.15% and 99.85 ± 0.09% against S. aureus and E. coli, respectively, for 15 min in vitro. Moreover, the MoS2(S)–Ag3PO4 coating had no apparent toxicity to cells. The proposed strategy may provide new insights for rapidly eradicating bacteria on medical tools and superficial implants.