title: Papain-templated Cu nanoclusters: assaying and exhibiting dramatic antibacterial activity cooperating with H₂O₂.
abstract: Herein, papain-functionalized Cu nanoclusters (CuNCs@Papain) were originally synthesized in aqueous solution together with a quantum yield of 14.3%, and showed obviously red fluorescence at 620 nm. Meanwhile, their corresponding fluorescence mechanism was fully elucidated by fluorescence spectroscopy, HR-TEM, FTIR spectroscopy, and XPS. Subsequently, the as-prepared CuNCs were employed as probes for detecting H2O2. Using CuNCs as probes, H2O2 was determined in the range from 1 μM to 50 μM based on a linear decrease of fluorescence intensity as well as a detection limit of 0.2 μM with a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. More significantly, it has been proved that CuNCs could convert H2O2 to ˙OH, which exhibited dramatic antibacterial activity. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to validate their antibacterial activity against Gram-positive/negative bacteria and actual wound infection, suggesting their potential for serving as one type of promising antibacterial material.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Real-Time Analytical Chemistry (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China. ming4444@swu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Zinan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Xiaoming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development*; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D010206:Papain / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D003300:Copper; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D010206:Papain