Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Photochem Photobiol. 2023 Mar;99(2):706-715. doi: 10.1111/php.13686. Epub 2022 Aug 29.
Given the current grave problems with antibiotic resistance, the discovery of novel, unconventional antibacterial drugs is not just important but also urgent. In this contribution, we report on the synthesis and testing of several composite nanomaterials that may find applications as therapeutic drugs or surface disinfectants. These materials are based on magnetic nanostructures coated with lignin, for example, lignin@FeCo. The magnetic properties of these nanocomposites facilitate removal or localization, whereas the lignin shell provides biocompatibility. These nanomaterials are mild antibacterials in the absence of light, but when illuminated become powerful antibacterial agents with typically ≥6 log units of bacterial reduction in 1-5 min of irradiation. These materials are strongly absorbing, including in the very useful NIR biological window, which we illustrate using 810 nm LED irradiation. We also show that in the short time required for antibacterial action, thermal changes are very small (≤5°C). Further, biocompatibility tests using fibroblasts show very limited cell damage and no enhanced adverse effect during 810 nm NIR illumination. As a surface coating for the active material, lignin provides a "trojan horse" strategy to facilitate the antibacterial action.
鉴于当前抗生素耐药性的严重问题，发现新型的、非传统的抗菌药物不仅重要，而且紧迫。在本研究中，我们报告了几种复合纳米材料的合成和测试，这些材料可能具有作为治疗药物或表面消毒剂的应用潜力。这些材料基于涂有木质素的磁性纳米结构，例如木质素@FeCo。这些纳米复合材料的磁性有助于去除或定位，而木质素壳提供了生物相容性。这些纳米材料在没有光照的情况下是温和的抗菌剂，但在光照下，它们会变成强大的抗菌剂，在 1-5 分钟的辐照下，通常可减少≥6 个对数单位的细菌。这些材料具有很强的吸收能力，包括在非常有用的近红外生物窗口，我们使用 810nm LED 照射来证明这一点。我们还表明，在进行抗菌作用所需的短时间内，热变化非常小（≤5°C）。此外，使用成纤维细胞进行的生物相容性测试表明，在 810nm 近红外照射下，细胞损伤非常有限，没有增强的不良反应。作为活性材料的表面涂层，木质素提供了一种“特洛伊木马”策略，以促进抗菌作用。
