title: Acidity-triggered charge-convertible nanoparticles that can cause bacterium-specific aggregation in situ to enhance photothermal ablation of focal infection.
abstract: Focal infections that are caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria are becoming an ever-growing challenge to human health. To address this challenge, a pH-responsive amphiphilic polymer of polyaniline-conjugated glycol chitosan (PANI-GCS) that can self-assemble into nanoparticles (NPs) in situ is developed. The PANI-GCS NPs undergo a unique surface charge conversion that is induced by their local pH, favoring bacterium-specific aggregation without direct contact with host cells. Following conjugation onto GCS, the optical-absorbance peak of PANI is red-shifted toward the near-infrared (NIR) region, enabling PANI-GCS NPs to generate a substantial amount of heat, which is emitted to their neighborhood. The local temperature of the NIR-irradiated PANI-GCS NPs is estimated to be approximately 5 °C higher than their ambient tissue temperature, ensuring specific and direct heating of their aggregated bacteria; hence, damage to tissue is reduced and wound healing is accelerated. The above results demonstrate that PANI-GCS NPs are practical for use in the photothermal ablation of focal infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Chiranjeevi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Korupalli
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Chieh-Cheng
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Wei-Chih
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Wen-Yu
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Po-Yen
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Wei-Lin
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsinchu Branch, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Meng-Ju
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Heart Center, Cheng Hsin General Hospital and College of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. Electronic address: cvsyenchang@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC. Electronic address: hwsung@mx.nthu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Hsing-Wen
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Sung
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000528:radiation effects; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced / Q000379:methods*; D008027:Light; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry*; D010789:Phototherapy / Q000379:methods*; D055672:Static Electricity; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Charge conversion; Imaging guiding; Photothermal therapy; Subcutaneous abscesses; pH-responsive nanoparticles