Reversible Regulation of the Reactive Oxygen Species Level Using a Semiconductor Heterojunction

Abstract

Here, we proposed a novel solution for reversible regulation of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level using a semiconductor heterojunction. Two metal-based ROS scavengers containing n-type CeO2 nanoparticles and n-type Cu-doped diatom biosilica (Cu-DBs) were integrated by a hydrothermal method to form a typical n–n semiconductor heterojunction (Ce/Cu-DBs). Unlike the control of the ROS level by a single ROS scavenger or ROS-generating agent, Ce/Cu-DBs could quickly eliminate ROS by cascade catalytic reaction, which readily switched to ROS generation through a near-infrared (NIR)-triggered photocatalytic effect. This NIR mediated ROS regulation system provided a noninvasive strategy for reversible control of the ROS level in vitro and in vivo. The Ce/Cu-DBs could relieve cellular oxidative stress by clearing local excessive ROS while inhibiting bacterial growth by increasing ROS levels under NIR radiation. Benefiting from the reversible regulatory effect of Ce/Cu-DBs, programmable healing of infected wounds was realized via on-demand anti-infection and inflammation reduction. This work provided a general method with highly spatiotemporal resolution to a remote and sustainable control ROS level, which had great potential for the biomedical field and regulation of chemical reactions.

The Art of Exploring Diatom Biosilica Biomaterials: From Biofabrication Perspective

“…(C) Reproduced with permission. [ 104 ] Copyright 2022, American Chemical Society. (D) Reproduced with permission.…”

“…[ 112 ] Ce/Cu‐DBs can relieve cellular oxidative stress by clearing local excess ROS, while inhibiting bacterial growth by increasing ROS levels under NIR radiation (Figure 9C). [ 104 ] 4) Europium‐mineralized DB can be used as silicate‐based red phosphors with patterned nanostructures. When applied in LEDs, they have the advantages of chemical stability, moisture resistance and low material cost, which can stimulate the development in the range of phosphors that can be effectively excited by near‐ultraviolet light, particularly those that emit red light.…”

“…Copyright 2013, Royal Society of Chemistry. (C) Reproduced with permission [104]. Copyright 2022, American Chemical Society.…”

Lysis-Free Isolation and Direct Amplification of Pathogenic Bacterial DNA Using Diatom Frustules

“…Diatoms are a type of unicellular algae found throughout marine and freshwater with highly ordered hierarchical porous organization biosilica cell walls, namely diatom frustules (DFs). − It was reported that diatoms contain hundreds of bacterial genes due to the pervasive horizontal gene transfer between bacteria and diatoms, which is speculated to be derived from bacterial DNA captured by DFs in nature. , Besides, our previous studies have proven that the silanol group-rich surfaces of DFs have a strong cell-to-cell interaction to promote cell membrane from deformation to lysis, which depends on the concentration of DFs, and the hierarchical porous structure gives it a huge specific surface area to absorb biomolecules. − All of these inspired us to utilize DFs to isolate bacterial DNA without a lysis step.…”