Photoactive Nanoplatforms with Immunomodulation Effect for Antibacterial Therapy

The accelerating increase in bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics is a significant obstacle to the effective management of infectious diseases. Phototherapy is considered as a promising antibacterial strategy because of its non-invasiveness and broad antibacterial spectrum without induction of drug resistance. Unfortunately, single-mode phototherapy may cause thermal damage to surrounding tissue and reactive oxygen species (ROS) have a short half-life, which reduces their therapeutic efficacy. Immunomodulation exhibits distinct superiority in treating bacterial infection by utilizing immune system to actively eradicate pathogens, which also prevents recurrence of bacterial infection. Therefore, designing photoactive nanoplatforms with immunoregulation capacity is a two-pronged approach to achieve an effective antibacterial purpose. In this review, the mechanisms of phototherapy, immunomodulation and their synergy in treating bacterial infections are systematically summarized. Meanwhile, the recent applications of phototherapy coupled with immunomodulation for various infectious diseases are outlined. Moreover, the existing advantages, limitations and prospects for this kind of antibacterial strategy are discussed, aiming to accelerate the advancements and clinical transformation in this area.