title: Effective Targeted Photothermal Ablation of Multidrug Resistant Bacteria and Their Biofilms with NIR-Absorbing Gold Nanocrosses.
abstract: With the rapid evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, antibiotic-resistant bacteria (in particular, multidrug-resistant bacteria) and their biofilms have been becoming more and more difficult to be effectively treated with conventional antibiotics. As such, there is a great demand to develop a nonantibiotic approach in efficiently eliminating such bacteria. Here, multibranched gold nanocrosses with strong near-infrared absorption falling in the biological window, which heat up quickly under near-infrared-light irradiation are presented. The gold nanocrosses are conjugated to secondary and primary antibodies for targeting PcrV, a type III secretion protein, which is uniquely expressed on the bacteria superbug, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The conjugated gold nanocrosses are capable of completely destroying P. aeruginosa and its biofilms upon near-infrared-light irradiation for 5 min with an 800 nm laser at a low power density of ≈3.0 W cm(-2) . No bacterial activity is detected after 48 h postirradiation, which indicates that the heat generated from the irradiated plasmonic gold nanocrosses attached to bacteria is effective in eliminating and preventing the re-growth of the bacteria. Overall, the conjugated gold nanocrosses allow targeted and effective photothermal ablation of multidrug-resistant bacteria and their biofilms in the localized region with reduced nonspecific damage to normal tissue.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR, 2 Fusionopolis Way, Singapore, 138634, Singapore.|Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore, 117583, Singapore.
authors.forename: Choon Peng
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Teng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, 61 Biopolis Drive, Singapore, 138673, Singapore.
authors.forename: Tielin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR, 2 Fusionopolis Way, Singapore, 138634, Singapore.
authors.forename: Enyi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR, 2 Fusionopolis Way, Singapore, 138634, Singapore.
authors.forename: Shuhua
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR, 2 Fusionopolis Way, Singapore, 138634, Singapore.
authors.forename: Leng Duei
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR, 2 Fusionopolis Way, Singapore, 138634, Singapore.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Low
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR, 2 Fusionopolis Way, Singapore, 138634, Singapore.
authors.forename: Xian Jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Loh
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR, 2 Fusionopolis Way, Singapore, 138634, Singapore.
authors.forename: Khin Yin
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Win
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, 61 Biopolis Drive, Singapore, 138673, Singapore.
authors.forename: Lianhui
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR, 2 Fusionopolis Way, Singapore, 138634, Singapore.|Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore, 117583, Singapore.
authors.forename: Ming-Yong
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced / Q000379:methods*; D010789:Phototherapy / Q000379:methods*; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000628:therapy*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D006046:Gold
keywords: Pseudomonas aeruginosa; biofilms; branched gold nanostructures; multidrug-resistant bacteria; photothermal therapy