Issue 16, 2022

Water-soluble thienoviologen derivatives for imaging bacteria and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy

Abstract

A series of water-soluble cationic thienoviologen derivative photosensitizers (nTPy-Rs) for photodynamic therapy (PDT) is reported. Cationic pyridine groups were introduced into the thiophene framework to enhance solubility and bacteria-binding ability, which effectively improved bacteriological imaging and antibacterial activity. The optoelectronic properties of nTPy-Rs were regulated by adjusting the number of thiophene groups, and the differences in antibacterial activity due to the functional scaffolds were compared. The results showed that nTPy-Rs could generate reactive oxygen species (ROS, including macroscopic free radicals), efficiently inhibit bacterial growth, and achieve the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to the ng mL−1 level. Remarkably, 2TPyC6, containing two thiophene groups and modified by alkyl side chains, showed the best bacteriostatic performance, with the MIC of 20 ng mL−1 and 4.5 ng mL−1 for E. coli and S. aureus, respectively, which are the lowest photosensitizer concentrations used in PDT to date. The low cell cytotoxicity and excellent antibacterial performance give nTPy-Rs great potential as PDT agents in vivo.

Graphical abstract: Water-soluble thienoviologen derivatives for imaging bacteria and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 Jan 2022
Accepted
14 Mar 2022
First published
17 Mar 2022

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2022,10, 3097-3103

Water-soluble thienoviologen derivatives for imaging bacteria and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy

M. Guo, K. Zhou, R. Ding, X. Zhao, Y. Zhang, Z. Zhang and G. He, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2022, 10, 3097 DOI: 10.1039/D2TB00129B

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements