Visualization and In Situ Ablation of Intracellular Bacterial Pathogens through Metabolic Labeling

Protected by the host cells, the hidden intracellular bacteria are typically difficult to kill by common antibiotics and cannot be visualized without complex cellular pretreatments. Herein, we successfully developed a bacteria-metabolizable dual-functional probe TPEPy-d -Ala, which is based on d -alanine and a photosensitizer with aggregation-induced emission for fluorescence turn-on imaging of intracellular bacteria in living host cells and photodynamic ablation in situ. Once metabolically incorporated into bacterial peptidoglycan, the intramolecular motions of TPEPy-d -Ala are inhibited, leading to an enhanced fluorescent signal, which allows the clear visualization of the intracellular bacteria. Moreover, TPEPy-d -Ala can effectively ablate the labeled intracellular bacteria in situ owing to covalent ligation to peptidoglycan, yielding a low intracellular minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 20±0.5 μg mL⁻¹, much more efficient than that of a commonly used antibiotic, vancomycin.     

Aggregation-Induced Emission Gold Clustoluminogens for Enhanced Low-Dose X-ray-Induced Photodynamic Therapy

The use of gold nanoparticles as radiosensitizers is an effective way to boost the killing efficacy of radiotherapy while drastically limiting the received dose and reducing the possible damage to normal tissues. Herein, we designed aggregation-induced emission gold clustoluminogens (AIE-Au) to achieve efficient low-dose X-ray-induced photodynamic therapy (X-PDT) with negligible side effects. The aggregates of glutathione-protected gold clusters (GCs) assembled through a cationic polymer enhanced the X-ray-excited luminescence by 5.2-fold. Under low-dose X-ray irradiation, AIE-Au strongly absorbed X-rays and efficiently generated hydroxyl radicals, which enhanced the radiotherapy effect. Additionally, X-ray-induced luminescence excited the conjugated photosensitizers, resulting in a PDT effect. The in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that AIE-Au effectively triggered the generation of reactive oxygen species with an order-of-magnitude reduction in the X-ray dose, enabling highly effective cancer treatment.     

Planar AIEgens with Enhanced Solid-State Luminescence and ROS Generation for Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Treatment

Planar luminogens have encountered difficulties in overcoming intrinsic aggregation-caused emission quenching by intermolecular π-π stacking interactions. Although excited-state double-bond reorganization (ESDBR) can guide us on designing planar aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogens (AIEgens), its mechanism has yet been elucidated. Major challenges in the field include methods to efficiently restrict ESDBR and enhance AIE performance without using bulky substituents (e.g., tetraphenylethylene and triphenylamine). In this study, we rationally developed fluoro-substituent AIEgens with stronger intermolecular H-bonding interaction for restricted molecular motions and increased crystal density, leading to decreased nonradiative decay rate by one order of magnitude. The adjusted ESDBR properties also show a corresponding response to variation in viscosity. Furthermore, their aggregation-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generations have been discovered. The application of such planar AIEgen in treating multidrug-resistant bacteria has been demonstrated in a mouse model. The relationship between ROS generation and distinct E/Z-configurational stacking behaviors have been further understood, providing a design principle for synthesizing planar AIEgen-based photosensitizers.     

The siRNAsome: A Cation‐Free and Versatile Nanostructure for siRNA and Drug Co‐delivery

Nanoparticles show great potential for drug delivery. However, suitable nanostructures capable of loading a range of drugs together with the co‐delivery of siRNAs, which avoid the problem of cation‐associated cytotoxicity, are lacking. Herein, we report an small interfering RNA (siRNA)‐based vesicle (siRNAsome), which consists of a hydrophilic siRNA shell, a thermal‐ and intracellular‐reduction‐sensitive hydrophobic median layer, and an empty aqueous interior that meets this need. The siRNAsome can serve as a versatile nanostructure to load drug agents with divergent chemical properties, therapeutic proteins as well as co‐delivering immobilized siRNAs without transfection agents. Importantly, the inherent thermal/reduction‐responsiveness enables controlled drug loading and release. When siRNAsomes are loaded with the hydrophilic drug doxorubicin hydrochloride and anti‐P‐glycoprotein siRNA, synergistic therapeutic activity is achieved in multidrug resistant cancer cells and a tumor model.     

Polymeric Encapsulation of Novel Homoleptic Bis(dipyrrinato) Zinc(II) Complexes with Long Lifetimes for Applications as Photodynamic Therapy Photosensitisers

The use of photodynamic therapy (PDT) to treat cancer has received increasing attention over the last years. However, the clinically used photosensitisers (PSs) have some limitations that include poor aqueous solubility, hepatotoxicity, photobleaching, aggregation, and slow clearance from the body, so the design of new classes of PSs is of great interest. We present the use of bis(dipyrrinato)zinc(II) complexes with exceptionally long lifetimes as efficient PDT PSs. Based on the heavy‐atom effect, intersystem crossing of these complexes changes the excited state from singlet to a triplet state, thereby enabling singlet oxygen generation. To overcome the limitation of quenching effects in water and improve water solubility, the lead compound 3 was encapsulated in a polymer matrix. It showed impressive phototoxicity upon irradiation at 500 nm in various monolayer cancer cells as well as 3D multicellular tumour spheroids, without observed dark toxicity.     

Nanoscale Metal–Organic Layers for Deeply Penetrating X‐ray‐Induced Photodynamic Therapy

We report the rational design of metal–organic layers (MOLs) that are built from [Hf₆O₄(OH)₄(HCO₂)₆] secondary building units (SBUs) and Ir[bpy(ppy)₂]⁺‐ or [Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺‐derived tricarboxylate ligands (Hf‐BPY‐Ir or Hf‐BPY‐Ru; bpy=2,2′‐bipyridine, ppy=2‐phenylpyridine) and their applications in X‐ray‐induced photodynamic therapy (X‐PDT) of colon cancer. Heavy Hf atoms in the SBUs efficiently absorb X‐rays and transfer energy to Ir[bpy(ppy)₂]⁺ or [Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺ moieties to induce PDT by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). The ability of X‐rays to penetrate deeply into tissue and efficient ROS diffusion through ultrathin 2D MOLs (ca. 1.2 nm) enable highly effective X‐PDT to afford superb anticancer efficacy.     

Anaerobe‐Inspired Anticancer Nanovesicles

Anaerobic bacteria, such as Clostridium and Salmonella , can selectively invade and colonize in tumor hypoxic regions (THRs) and deliver therapeutic products to destroy cancer cells. Herein, we present an anaerobe nanovesicle mimic that can not only be activated in THRs but also induce hypoxia in tumors by themselves. Moreover, inspired by the oxygen metabolism of anaerobes, we construct a light‐induced hypoxia‐responsive modality to promote dissociation of vehicles and activation of bioreductive prodrugs simultaneously. In vitro and in vivo experiments indicate that this anaerobe‐inspired nanovesicle can efficiently induce apoptotic cell death and significantly inhibit tumor growth. Our work provides a new strategy for engineering stimuli‐responsive drug delivery systems in a bioinspired and synergistic fashion.     

A Membrane‐Intercalating Conjugated Oligoelectrolyte with High‐Efficiency Photodynamic Antimicrobial Activity

A membrane‐intercalating conjugated oligoelectrolyte (COE), PTTP , was designed and synthesized with the goal of providing red‐shifted absorption spectra relative to previously synthesized COE analogs. Specifically, electron‐rich and electron‐poor subunits were introduced in the conjugated backbone to modulate the band gap. PTTP exhibits maxima of absorption at 507 nm and of emission at 725 nm. PTTP can also efficiently function to generate singlet oxygen in situ (Φ_Δ≈20 %) and has appropriate topology and dimensions to interact with lipid membranes. The resulting rapid membrane insertion and sensitizing ability provide PTTP with a highly efficient antibacterial capability under a low light dose (0.6 J cm⁻²) toward Gram‐negative bacteria E. coli, making it a remarkably efficient optically mediated antimicrobial agent.