Engineering Reactive Oxygen Species-Responsive Supramolecular Gels with Inherent Antibacterial Activity for Combating Bacterial Infections

作者：Long Xu, Yitong Chen, Yao Hu, Cong Wang, Yabin Zhu, Mingxin Dong · 发表于：Langmuir · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c05108 · 被引用次数：2 · 研究领域：Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials、Supramolecular Chemistry and Complexes、Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics

Bacterial infections, particularly those caused by antibiotic-resistant strains, present a serious threat to global public health, highlighting the critical need to develop novel antibacterial agents capable of overcoming multidrug resistance. Supramolecular gels with intrinsic antibacterial activity represent a promising strategy. In this study, we designed and synthesized reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) using a bottom-up approach based on self-antibacterial synthons and ROS-cleavable thioketal. The structure of the gelators was characterized by 1 H NMR spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Their gelation behavior was systematically investigated, and the critical gelation concentration (CGC) was determined. The self-assembly mechanism of the LMWGs was elucidated through 1 H NMR, Fourier transform infrared (FT–IR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy (FS). The ROS-triggered degradation and drug release profiles were also evaluated. Biocompatibility was assessed via CCK-8 assays using L929 and 293T cell lines. The antibacterial efficacy of the blank and ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (CIP·HCl)-loaded supramolecular gels was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ) and Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) through bacterial adhesion assays and plate colony counting methods. The blank supramolecular gel demonstrated strong antibacterial and bactericidal activity...