Background: Biofilm has a highly heterogeneous structure which impedes routine drugs from intramural penetration, frequently leading to low anti-biofilm efficacy and drug resistance. Recently, photocatalytic route has been developed to generate active oxygen species (ROS) for oxidative damage to the surface structure of biofilm, but hardly affect the inner bacteria of biofilm owing to the extremely short life-time (at ms scale) and work distance (at nm scale) of ROS.
Main Results: The team led by Prof. Qianjun He at the Center of Hydrogen Science, Shanghai Jiao Tong University has recently proposed an inside/outside-cooperation concept of sonocatalytic therapy of biofilm for efficient hydrogen generation and local polysaccharide/NADH oxidation, which inhibits bacterial aspiration inside biofilm and destroys the surface structure of biofilm, respectively, realizing high-efficacy biofilm therapy, as illustrated in the following scheme (National Science Review, 2023, 10, nwad063).
Based this strategy, they develop biocompatible C3N4 nanosheets as an ultrasound (US)-responsive piezoelectrocatalyst with a right band structure which enables to utilize polysaccharide/NADH on the surface of biofilm as sacrificial agents for efficient sonocatalytic hydrogen generation. Furthermore, they prepare a type of C3N4 nanosheets-encapsulated hydrogel as a new dressing, and coat it on the surface of biofilm-infected diabetic wound followed by irradiation with low-intensity of ultrasound wave (1 W/cm2, 50% duty ratio, 8 min for twice every other day), effectively eradicating biofilm and accelerating the healing of biofilm-infected diabetic wound.
Significance: It is exciting that such a therapeutic method is easy-operating, sustainable and repeatable without restrictions, enabling any extent of therapy for optimal outcomes only by low-power medical US irradiation on demand. Moreover, the C3N4-encapsulated hydrogel dressing is facile and safe for use. Based on experimental evidences, we reasonably believe that the C3N4-mediated sonocatalytic therapy of biofilm-infected diabetic would bring new hopes for diabetic patients.
Comment: Prof. Jianlin Shi, a prominent leading scientist in the field of nano-catalytic medicine, highlights this research and makes a comment on National Science Review “their discovery opens a new window for major disease treatments by hydrogen medicine” (Jianlin Shi, Sonocatalytic hydrogen generation breaks the heart of super bacteria—a hydrogen solution to super bacteria?, National Science Review, 2023, 10, nwad101).
Paper Link: https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwad063