Engineering Reactive Oxygen Species-Responsive Supramolecular Gels with Inherent Antibacterial Activity for Combating...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biotechnology
• Medicinal Chemistry

Background:

• Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections pose a significant global health threat.
• Novel antibacterial agents are urgently needed to overcome multidrug resistance.
• Supramolecular gels offer a promising platform for developing new antibacterial strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs).
• To evaluate the self-assembly, gelation behavior, and ROS-triggered degradation of the LMWGs.
• To assess the antibacterial efficacy and biocompatibility of the developed supramolecular gels.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and characterization of LMWGs using NMR and HRMS.
• Investigation of gelation properties and self-assembly mechanisms via spectroscopy (NMR, FT-IR, UV-Vis, FS).
• Evaluation of ROS-triggered degradation, drug release, biocompatibility (CCK-8 assays), and antibacterial activity (bacterial adhesion, colony counting, inhibition zone assays).

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized and characterized novel ROS-responsive LMWGs.
• Elucidated the self-assembly mechanism and demonstrated ROS-triggered degradation.
• Blank supramolecular gels exhibited potent antibacterial and bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, comparable to ciprofloxacin hydrochloride.
• Demonstrated significant efficacy against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) via a membrane-disruptive mechanism.

Conclusions:

• Rational design of LMWGs for targeted membrane disruption is a viable strategy for developing self-antibacterial supramolecular gels.
• These novel supramolecular gels show promise as a new therapeutic platform against drug-resistant bacteria.
• The developed materials offer a potential solution to the growing challenge of antibiotic resistance.