PHMB modified photothermally triggered nitric oxide release nanoplatform for precise synergistic therapy of wound bacterial infections

Bacterial infection has been considered as a significant obstacle for wound healing. Nitric oxide (NO), as a novel alternative for antibiotics, has emerged as a promising antibacterial agent. However, the precise spatiotemporal controlled release of NO still remains a major challenge. Herein, a near-infrared (NIR) light triggered NO release nanoplatform (designated as [email protected] ) with enhanced broad-spectrum antibacterial and anti-biofilm properties was constructed. Given that [email protected] has strong absorption in the NIR region and exhibits excellent photothermal effect, it can rapidly trigger NO release by NIR irradiation. [email protected] can effectively contact and capture bacteria, and then exhibit synergistic effect of photothermal and gas therapy. In vitro and in vivo experiments indicated that [email protected] exhibited excellent biocompatibility, satisfactory synergistic antibacterial efficacy and the capability of accelerating wound healing. Under NIR irradiation (808 nm, 1 W cm −2 , 7 min), [email protected] (80 μg mL −1 ) achieved 100% bactericidal activity against both Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli ( E. coli) and Gram-positive bacteria Staphyloccocus aureus ( S. aureus ), removed 58.94% of S. aureus biofilm. Therefore, this all-in-one antibacterial nanoplatform with high NIR responsiveness provides a promising antibiotic-free strategy for bacterial infection treatment.