Evaluation of Structure-Function Relationships of Aggregation-Induced Emission Luminogens for Simultaneous Dual Applications of Specific Discrimination and Efficient Photodynamic Killing of Gram-Positive Bacteria.

Bacterial infectious diseases, especially those caused by Gram-positive bacteria, have been seriously threatening human health. Preparation of a multifunctional system bearing both rapid bacterial differentiation and effective antibacterial effects is highly in demand, but remains a severe challenge. Herein, we rationally designed and successfully developed a sequence of aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) with orderly enhanced D-A strength. Evaluation of structure-function relationships reveals that AIEgens having intrinsic positive charge and proper ClogP value are able to stain Gram-positive bacteria. Meanwhile, one of the presented AIEgens (TTPy) can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) in extraordinarily high efficiency under white light irradiation due to the smaller singlet-triplet energy gap. Thanks to the NIR emission, excellent specificity to Gram-positive bacteria, and effective ROS generation efficiency, TTPy has been proved to perform well in selective photodynamic killing of Gram-positive bacteria in vitro, such as S. aureus and S. epidermidis, even in S. aureus-infected rat wounds.

Silica-Coated Gold-Silver Nanocages as Photothermal Antibacterial Agents for Combined Anti-Infective Therapy.

Because of the abuse of antibiotics and threats of antibiotic resistance, bacterial infection is still one of the most difficult issues to be resolved. Thus, it is of great significance to explore novel antibacterial agents. In this paper, we investigated a type of silica-coated gold-silver nanocages (Au-Ag@SiO2 NCs) as antibacterial candidates. Their intrinsic characteristics of photothermal property and sustained release of Ag ions were fully exploited for near-infrared (NIR)-induced combined anti-infective therapy. The broad-spectrum antibacterial property of the as-prepared Au-Ag@SiO2 NCs was confirmed in vitro against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli ( E. coli). In addition, Au-Ag@SiO2 NCs exhibit effective treatment of the S. aureus biofilm with the assistance of NIR irradiation. More importantly, we assessed the in vivo antibacterial efficacy of Au-Ag@SiO2 NCs against S. aureus, which demonstrated sustainably enhanced therapeutic effects on a rat model with wound infection.

Facile Surface Multi-Functionalization of Biomedical Catheters with Dual-Microcrystalline Broad-Spectrum Antibacterial Drugs and Antifouling Poly(ethylene glycol) for Effective Inhibition of Bacterial Infections.

With the development of biomedical materials, the widespread use of implantable medical devices such as biomedical catheters has saved lives and improved therapeutic outcomes in the clinic. Biomedical catheters (BCs) have the ability to connect the body inside and outside and are widely used in clinical sites for fluid discharging, blood indwelling, mechanical ventilating, and so on. However, catheter-related infections (CRIs) are common nosocomial infections with high morbidity and mortality. The pathogens in the urinary tract, blood, and lung tissue carried by BCs may be the direct cause of CRIs, and the bacterial biofilm on the surface of BCs provides a notable source of persistent diseases. Microcrystalline sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) and trimethoprim (TMP) were prepared in this study to increase both the specific surface area and water-solubility of antibacterial drugs, as well as to enhance the antibacterial and antifouling effects on the surface of BCs. As-prepared drugs and the excellent antifouling agent polyethylene glycol (PEG) were then used for the functionalization of BCs. The result indicated that the sizes of microcrystalline SMZ and TMP were 0.5-3 µm, 1-5 µm, respectively. The coating of BC-PEG-drugs exhibited excellent antibacterial efficacy in culture as well as preeminent antibacterial and antifouling abilities on the surface of BCs toward Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Moreover, the BC-PEG-drugs groups exhibited outstanding antibacterial and antifouling abilities in vivo by an animal infection model with S. aureus. This study offers a simple and effective approach for the synthesis of antibacterial and antifouling coatings that consist of microcrystalline drugs, with promising clinical applicability.