Low-Temperature Photothermal Antibacterial Activity and Wound Healing Promotion Mediated by Controlled Nitric Oxide...

Bacterial infections pose a severe global threat, and while antibiotics are the primary clinical treatment, their widespread misuse has led to increasing drug resistance, making the development of alternative therapies an urgent task. Photothermal antibacterial treatment is a promising approach, but the high temperatures required can damage surrounding tissues. Low-temperature photothermal therapy offers a safer solution but often suffers from reduced efficacy. In this study, we designed PMI-NOP, a photothermal agent capable of light-triggered NO release, to achieve effective low-temperature antibacterial treatment against both standard and multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that PMI-NOP effectively eliminated clinically isolated drug-resistant P. aeruginosa at 45°C, achieving comparable efficacy to conventional 55°C treatment while significantly reducing inflammation and heat shock response, thereby minimizing thermal damage to surrounding tissue. These findings showed that combining controlled NO release with low-temperature photothermal treatment provides a safer and highly effective alternative to treat bacterial infections.