Photosensitizer
(PS)-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) has attracted
more and more attention as an alternative to traditional antibiotic
therapy. Nevertheless, the limitations of traditional photosensitizers
seriously hinder their practical application, as a result, the methods
to improve the antibacterial properties of traditional photosensitizers
have become a hot topic in the field of photomedicine. Herein, a compound
nano-PS system has been constructed with synergistic photodynamic
and photothermal (PTT) antibacterial effects, triggered by a dual-wavelength
illumination. Fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) were synthesized and employed
as carriers for the delivery of curcumin (Cur) to obtain CDs/Cur.
Upon combined near-infrared and 405 nm visible dual-wavelength irradiation,
CDs/Cur could simultaneously generate ROS and a moderate temperature
increase, triggering synergistic antibacterial effects against both
Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The results of scanning
electron microscopy and fluorescence confocal imaging showed that
the combined effect of CDs/Cur with PDT and PTT caused more serious
damage to the cell membrane. In addition, CDs/Cur exhibited low cytotoxicity
and negligible hemolytic activity, showing great biocompatibility.
Therefore, the construction of CDs/Cur by employing CDs as photosensitizer
delivery carriers provides a strategy for the improvement of the antibacterial
effect of the photosensitizer and the design of next-generation antibacterial
agents in photomedicine.
Schematic illustration of the preparation of Cur-NRCQDs with orange-red to NIR fluorescence. The Cur-NRCQDs showed excellent antibacterial effects on S. aureus and E.coli under PDT and have imaging applications.
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