Using a Bacterial Protein to Selectively Target Bacterial Biofilms: Treatment of S. epidermidis Biofilms with Targeted Photothermal Gold Nanoparticles.

Biofilm-related infections are associated with high mortality and morbidity, combined with increased treatment costs. Traditional antibiotics are becoming less effective due to the emergence of drug-resistant bacterial strains. The need to treat biofilms on medical implants is particularly acute, and one persistent challenge is selectively directing nanoparticles to the biofilm site.

NIR-II emissive donor-acceptor-donor fluorophores for dual fluorescence bioimaging and photothermal therapy applications.

Fluorescence bioimaging with near-infrared II (NIR-II) emissive organic fluorophores has proven to be a viable noninvasive diagnostic technique. However, there is still the need for the development of fluorophores that possess increased stability as well as functionalities that impart stimuli responsiveness. Through strategic design, we can synthesize fluorophores that possess not only NIR-II optical profiles but also pH-sensitivity and the ability to generate heat upon irradiation.

Protein Binding Leads to Reduced Stability and Solvated Disorder in the Polystyrene Nanoparticle Corona.

Understanding the conformation of proteins in the nanoparticle corona has important implications in how organisms respond to nanoparticle-based drugs. These proteins coat the nanoparticle surface, and their properties will influence the nanoparticle's interaction with cell targets and the immune system. While some coronas are thought to be disordered, two key unanswered questions are the degree of disorder and solvent accessibility.

Protein-Functionalized Gold Nanospheres with Tunable Photothermal Efficiency for the Near-Infrared Photothermal Ablation of Biofilms.

Temperature-responsive nanostructures with high antimicrobial efficacy are attractive for therapeutic applications against multidrug-resistant bacteria. Here, we report temperature-responsive nanospheres (TRNs) engineered to undergo self-association and agglomeration above a tunable transition temperature (). The temperature-responsive behavior of the nanoparticles is obtained by functionalizing citrate-capped spherical gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs).

Near-Infrared Photothermal Ablation of Biofilms using ProteinFunctionalized Gold Nanospheres with a Tunable Temperature Response.

Temperature-responsive nanostructures with high antimicrobial efficacy are attractive for therapeutic applications against multi-drug-resistant bacteria. Here, we report temperature-responsive nanospheres (TRNs) that are engineered to undergo self-association and agglomeration above a tunable transition temperature (T). Temperature-responsive behavior of the nanoparticles is obtained by functionalizing citrate-capped, spherical gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs).

Protein Binding Leads to Reduced Stability and Solvated Disorder in the Polystyrene Nanoparticle Corona.

Understanding the conformation of proteins in the nanoparticle corona has important implications in how organisms respond to nanoparticle-based drugs. These proteins coat the nanoparticle surface, and their properties will influence the nanoparticle's interaction with cell targets and the immune system. While some coronas are thought to be disordered, two key unanswered questions are the degree of disorder and solvent accessibility.

Understanding the Adsorption of Peptides and Proteins onto PEGylated Gold Nanoparticles.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) surface conjugations are widely employed to render passivating properties to nanoparticles in biological applications. The benefits of surface passivation by PEG are reduced protein adsorption, diminished non-specific interactions, and improvement in pharmacokinetics. However, the limitations of PEG passivation remain an active area of research, and recent examples from the literature demonstrate how PEG passivation can fail.

Physicochemical and Antimicrobial Properties of Thermosensitive Chitosan Hydrogel Loaded with Fosfomycin.

Thermosensitive chitosan hydrogels-renewable, biocompatible materials-have many applications as injectable biomaterials for localized drug delivery in the treatment of a variety of diseases. To combat infections such as osteomyelitis, localized antibiotic delivery would allow for higher doses at the site of infection without the risks associated with traditional antibiotic regimens. Fosfomycin, a small antibiotic in its own class, was loaded into a chitosan hydrogel system with varied beta-glycerol phosphate (β-GP) and fosfomycin (FOS) concentrations.