Facile One-Pot Assembly of a Versatile Photoactive Nanozyme for Highly Efficient Antibacterial Therapy

Conventional combinational antibacterial therapy requires the complicated assembly of multiple components that might cause a premature leak of therapeutic agents. Thus the one-pot assembly of highly integrated multifunctional antibacterial agents is highly desirable for treating multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Herein, the vancomycin-derived carbon dots (Van-CDs) are facilely developed as a compact and powerful multifunctional photodynamic nanozyme platform that achieves the augmented reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation for accelerating bacterial elimination. By residual recognition groups of vancomycin, the red emissive Van-CDs gain a specific affinity toward bacteria with a high binding constant of 20 L g^-1, manifesting a superior bacteria-imaging ability. Meanwhile, Van-CDs are encoded with an excellent peroxidase-mimicking (POD) activity for mediating the H₂O₂-activated evolvement of •OH, and also endowed with intrinsic photodynamic property for simultaneously producing singlet oxygen (¹O₂). Surprisingly, the photodynamic Van-CDs nanozyme possesses an auxiliary photothermal feature, which enables the photothermal imaging-guided hyperthermia-reinforced antibacterial therapy in vivo. Furthermore, a subcutaneous abscess model is established to validate their pronounced biofilm eradication and wound healing acceleration in vivo through the Van-CDs-promoted collagen deposition. Taken together, the present all-in-one compact photodynamic carbon-derived nanozyme with multiple intrinsic therapeutic functions represents a promising and competitive candidate for treating diabetic infections of clinical research.