pH-Triggered nanoreactors as oxidative stress amplifiers for combating multidrug-resistant biofilms

Abstract

Developing radical oxygen species (ROS)-generating nanoreactors as new “antibiotics” is a promising strategy for the treatment of multidrug-resistant (MDR) biofilm infections. Herein, we designed and fabricated silver nanoparticle-decorated calcium peroxide (CaO₂) nanoreactors (CPA) for combating MDR biofilms. CPA could locally boost ROS production as oxidative stress amplifiers in a pH-triggered and self-catalytic manner in acidic biofilms, where H₂O₂ was released by the hydrolysis of CaO₂ and sequentially catalyzed by Ag NPs in situ to generate O₂˙⁻, thereby efficiently disrupting mature biofilms and killing bacteria.