Low-Temperature Photothermal Therapy Based on Borneol-Containing Polymer-Modified MXene Nanosheets
Liu Yang, Siyu Chen, Hongxin Wei, Yinzhu Luo, Feng Cong, Wende Li, Liangzhi Hong, Jianyu Su
Abstract
Noninvasive photothermal therapy (PTT) is an emerging strategy for eliminating multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria that achieve sterilization by generating temperatures above 50 °C; however, such a high temperature also causes collateral damage to healthy tissues. In this study, we developed a low-temperature PTT based on borneol-containing polymer-modified MXene nanosheets (BPM) with bacteria-targeting capabilities. BPM was fabricated through the electrostatic coassembly of negatively charged two-dimensional MXene nanosheets (2DM) and positively charged quaternized α-(+)-borneol-poly(N,N-dimethyl ethyl methacrylate) (BPQ) polymers. Integrating BPQ with 2DM improved the stability of 2DM in physiological environments and enabled the bacterial membrane to be targeted due to the presence of a borneol group and the partially positive charge of BPQ. With the aid of near-infrared irradiation, BPM was able to effectively eliminate methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) through targeted photothermal hyperthermia. More importantly, BPM effectively eradicated more than 99.999% (>5 orders of magnitude) of MRSA by localized heating at a temperature that is safe for the human body (≤40 °C). Together, these findings suggest that BPM has good biocompatibility and that membrane-targeting low-temperature PTT could have great therapeutic potential against MDR infections.