Te–Cefotaxime nanocomposites with restored antibiotic susceptibility and the LED light activated photothermal effect for rapid MRSA eradication

The ever-growing antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a huge threat to public health. Restoring the susceptibility of ineffective antibiotics by inorganic nanomaterials and combining the photothermal and antibiotic effects could be an optional strategy to combat this resistance. Here, cefotaxime (CTX) loaded tellurium nanoparticles (Te NPs) were fabricated to recover the antibacterial activity of the ineffective β-lactam antibiotic CTX against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and at the same time perform photothermal therapy under light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation with a wavelength in the range of 420–480 nm. The combination of 50 μg mL−1 Te–CTX NPs with 5 min LED irradiation produced a 30.4 °C temperature increase and killed 99% of MRSA in vitro. In vivo evaluation in mice revealed that Te–CTX NPs and LED irradiation accelerated the healing of MRSA infected wounds and presented biosafety. Furthermore, this combination accelerated glutathione oxidation and resulted in the disruption of the antioxidant defence system of MRSA. Such a synergistic antibiotic and photothermal therapy provides an innovative way for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.