Curcumin-functionalized Prussian blue for NIR-II photothermal antibacterial therapy

Area of Science:

• Nanomedicine
• Photothermal Therapy
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• FDA-approved Prussian blue (PB) is a photothermal therapy (PTT) agent with a unique Fe^III-CN-Fe^II structure.
• Traditional PB nanomedicines absorb near-infrared (NIR) light in the NIR-I region, limiting efficacy for deep tissue treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design curcumin (Cur)-functionalized PB nanomedicine for enhanced NIR-II PTT against bacterial infections.
• To shift PB's absorption peak into the NIR-II region for improved deep lesion treatment.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized Cur-functionalized PB nanomedicine.
• Utilized Cur as a dispersant and reducing agent to tune PB's optical properties.
• Evaluated photothermal antibacterial performance against *S. aureus*.

Main Results:

• Curcumin effectively shifted the absorption peak of PB into the NIR-II region (900-1700 nm).
• Cur-functionalized PB nanomedicine exhibited superior photothermal antibacterial efficacy against *S. aureus*.

Conclusions:

• Curcumin-functionalized PB nanomedicine shows promise for NIR-II PTT against bacterial infections.
• This study provides a foundation for developing next-generation PTT nanomedicines by optimizing optical properties.