Synergistic Chemical and Photodynamic Antimicrobial Therapy for Enhanced Wound Healing Mediated by Multifunctional Light-Responsive Nanoparticles

Recently, rapid acquisition of antibiotic resistance, increased prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, and slow healing of infected wound have led to vast difficulties in developing innovative antimicrobial agents to obliterate pathogenic bacteria and simultaneously accelerate wound healing. To effectively solve this problem, we designed light-responsive multifunctional nanoparticles with conjugation of quaternary ammonium chitosan and photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) to merge chemical and photodynamic therapy to efficient antibacteria. The Mg/(−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) complex rapidly responded to light irradiation under 660 nm with release of magnesium ions, which effectively accelerated wound healing without toxicity to mammalian cells. Notably, positively charged nanoparticles could efficiently adhere to the bacterial surface, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced under laser irradiation destroyed the membrane structure of the bacteria, which is irreversible, ultimately leading to bacteria death. Thus, multifunctional nanoparticles with a combination of chemical and photodynamic antimicrobial therapy would offer guidance to rational predicted and designed new effective antimicrobial nanomaterials. Most importantly, it may represent a promising class of antimicrobial strategy for potential clinical translation.