The
global rise of antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria
has become an increasing medical and public concern, which is further
urging the development of antimicrobial channels for treating infectious
diseases. The combination of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with photothermal
therapy (PTT) has been considered as a promising alternative way for
the replacement of traditional antibiotic therapy. In this research,
the newly fabricated Chlorin-e6 (Ce6) conjugated mesoporous silica-coated
AuNRs, designated AuNR@SiO2-NH2-Ce6, exhibited
synergistic photothermal effects and single oxygen localized generation
property, and showed stronger photoinactivation for bacteria compared
with Ce6. AuNR@SiO2-NH2-Ce6 can anchor to the
cell membrane and accumulate in the interior of cells. Furthermore,
the unique porous structure of AuNR@SiO2NH2 enabled
Ce6 encapsulation in the mesopores and was subsequently released and
activated by photothermic effect, allowing the generated single oxygen
to penetrate into the cytoplasmic membrane or directly enter the interior
of bacteria cells, thus overcoming the inherent defects of single
oxygen. AuNR@SiO2-NH2-Ce6 not only damaged the
integrity of the cell membrane of bacteria but also facilitated the
cellular permeation and accumulation of external nanoagents in the
bacteria upon light irradiation. In addition, AuNR@SiO2-NH2-Ce6 exhibited negligible cytotoxicity toward mammalian
cells and hemolytic activity. Therefore, AuNR@SiO2-NH2-Ce6 may be highly promising candidates as topical antibacterial
agents, and this study has wide implications on the design of next-generation
antimicrobial agents.
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