Universal antibacterial and anti-inflammatory treatment using chitosan-prussian blue nanozyme
Jian Wang, Jiayi Wang, Huayuan Zhou, Rui Ma, Fang Zhou, Jiawei Zhu, Zhejie Chen, Xinfeng Dai, Dali Wei, Jiabei Li, Yiting Jiang, Qian Xia, Xueliang Liu, Yu Yang
Abstract
Bacterial infections are a growing global public health problem, exacerbated by the widespread and often inappropriate use of antibiotics, leading to the emergence of non-antibiotic pathogens. Herein, we synthesized a chitosan-Prussian blue nanozyme (CS@PB), a non-antibiotic agent, for universal antibacterial and anti-inflammatory treatment of bacterial infections. Confocal microscopy images showed that CS@PB significantly enhanced the physical interaction between chitosan and bacteria, thereby increasing the antibacterial ability. Moreover, these nanozymes exhibited potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, promoting macrophage polarization toward the M2-like phenotype, reducing oxidative stress, and alleviating inflammation. This dual-action approach effectively accelerates the healing of bacteria-infected inflammatory wounds. The synergistic bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties of CS@PBs inhibited wound infection and promoted the healing of skin infections in a mouse model. In addition, CS@PB displayed remarkable lung retention and potent bactericidal effects, resulting in significantly improved survival rates in mouse models of acute pulmonary bacterial infections. In conclusion, CS@PBs exhibited exceptional bactericidal capabilities, anti-inflammatory properties, and minimal toxicity, suggesting that they are promising candidates for a new generation of non-antibiotic antimicrobial agents for the treatment of bacterial infections.