Prussian Blue/Polydopamine-Decorated Halloysite Nanotubes for Effective Bacterial Eradication via Photothermal-Enhanced Chemodynamic Therapy

Bacterial infectious diseases seriously threaten global public health. The inappropriate use of antibiotics promoted the emergence and widespread of drug-resistant bacteria; thus, nanomaterial-based antibacterial agents are considered promising alternatives to combat bacterial infections. Herein, a near-infrared (NIR) light and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) dually triggered halloysite nanotube (HNT)-based nanoplatform (HNTs@PDA/PB) as a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent was fabricated via a facile two-step strategy. Specifically, as natural clay materials, HNTs were first coated with a versatile layer of polydopamine (PDA). Then, the catechol groups on the PDA surface served as a chelating and reducing agent, facilitating the in situ growth of Prussian blue (PB) nanoparticles. The as-prepared HNTs@PDA/PB exhibited strong absorption in the NIR region and peroxidase-like activity, which suggested that it can act as a photothermal and Fenton dual-modal agent. Under NIR irradiation and exogenous H2O2, HNTs@PDA/PB exhibited excellent bactericidal activity via photothermal-enhanced chemodynamic therapy against multiple pathogenic bacteria, eliminating 68.0 ± 0.4% of the Staphylococcus aureus biofilm and 61.6 ± 0.3% of the methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) biofilm. In vivo studies further demonstrated that HNTs@PDA/PB could achieve efficient bacterial eradication and accelerate wound healing. Overall, this versatile HNT-based nanoplatform can serve as a promising therapeutic candidate to fight against bacterial infectious diseases.