Infection microenvironment-responsive multifunctional nanocomposite for chronic wound treatment through redox homeostasis and macrophage regulation

Abstract

Due to repeated microbial infection and immunosuppressive microenvironment, chronic wound healing was significantly hindered. The development of multifunctional nanomaterials capable of simultaneously antibacterial and immunomodulatory continue to present challenges. Herein, a multifunctional nanocomposite, MXene/Cu2-xO, was developed that integrates photothermal therapy (PTT), chemodynamic therapy (CDT), and sonodynamic therapy (SDT) tri-modal therapy for synergistic antibacterial and immunomodulation wound healing. MXene/Cu2-xO exhibited remarkable reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation through Fenton-like reaction and ultrasound (US)-triggered in situ TiO2 sensitization. In response to weakly acidic infection microenvironment, the prepared nanocomposite could achieve robust antibacterial and anti-biofilm efficacy under near infrared light (NIR) and US irradiation via synergistic ROS and hyperthermia. Concurrently, macrophages could be polarized toward the pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype, augmenting bactericidal activity with inflammatory factor secretion regulated. Additionally, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1α)/vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-driven angiogenesis was significantly promoted. Thus, MXene/Cu2-xO markedly accelerated wound healing under NIR/US irradiation. Both in vitro and in vivo research results confirmed that MXene/Cu2-xO exhibits excellent antibacterial and immunomodulatory capability, and can effectively expedite infected wound healing. This work presents a paradigm of multimodal synergistic therapy in wound healing, offering inspiration for advancing chronic refractory wound treatment.

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
01 May 2025
Accepted
07 Jul 2025
First published
28 Jul 2025

Nanoscale, 2025, Accepted Manuscript

Infection microenvironment-responsive multifunctional nanocomposite for chronic wound treatment through redox homeostasis and macrophage regulation

Y. Zhang, G. Cheng, P. Suo, X. Chu, Y. Liu and S. Li, Nanoscale, 2025, Accepted Manuscript , DOI: 10.1039/D5NR01782C

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