Targeting and arginine-driven synergizing photodynamic therapy with nutritional immunotherapy nanosystems for combating MRSA biofilms
Aoxue Zhang, Hao Wu, Xin Chen, Zhen Chen, Yuanhu Pan, Wei Qu, Haihong Hao, Dongmei Chen, Shuyu Xie
Abstract
The resistance and immune escape of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) biofilms cause recalcitrant infections. Here, we design a targeting and synergizing cascade PDT with nutritional immunotherapy nanosystems (Arg-PCN@Gel) containing PCN-224 as PDT platform for providing reactive oxygen species (ROS), incorporating arginine (Arg) as nitric oxide (NO) donor to cascade with ROS to produce more lethal ONOO − and promote immune response, and coating with gelatin as targeting agent and persistent Arg provider. The nanosystems adhered to the autolysin of MRSA and inhibited Arg metabolism by down-regulating icdA and icaA . It suppressed polysaccharide intercellular adhesin and extracellular DNA synthesis to prevent biofilm formation. The NO broke mature biofilms and helped ROS and ONOO − penetrate into biofilms to inactivate internal MRSA. Arg-PCN@Gel drove Arg to enhance immunity via inducible NO synthase/NO axis and arginase/polyamine axis and achieve efficient target treatment in MRSA biofilm infections. The targeting and cascading PDT synergized with nutritional immunotherapy provide an effective promising strategy for biofilm-associated infections.