Although nano-self-assemblies of hydrophobic-modified bacitracin A with poly(d,l-lactic- co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) (nano-BA_PLGA) have demonstrated promising antibacterial activities, the application of nano-BA_PLGA was severely compromised by low water solubility. In this study, a series of PEGylated PLGA copolymers were selected to conjugate with the N-terminus of bacitracin A to construct PEGylated self-assembled nano-BAs and to further develop nano-self-assemblies of bacitracin A with strong antibacterial potency and high solubility. Compared with nano-BA_PLGA, all PEGylated nano-BAs, except nano-BA_5k, exhibited strong antibacterial efficiency against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria by inducing loss of cytoplasmic membrane potential, membrane permeabilization, and leakage of calcein from artificial cell membranes. Studies elucidating the underlying mechanism of PEGylated nano-BAs against Gram-negative bacteria indicated that the strong hydrophobic and van der Waals interactions between PLGA and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) could bind, neutralize, and disassociate LPS, facilitating cellular uptake of the nanoparticles, which could destabilize the membrane, resulting in cell death. Moreover, PEGylated nano-BAs (nano-BA_12k) with a longer PLGA block were expected to occupy a higher local density of BA mass on the surface and result in stronger hydrophobic and van der Waals interactions with LPS, which were responsible for the enhanced antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and emerging antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria, respectively. In vivo imaging verified that PEGylated nano-BAs exhibited higher inflammatory tissue distribution and longer circulation time than nano-BA_PLGA. Therefore, although PEGylation did not affect antibacterial activity, it is necessary for target delivery and resistance to clearance of the observed PEGylated nano-BAs. In vivo, nano-BA_12k also showed the highest therapeutic index against infection burden in a mouse thigh infection model among the tested formulations, which showed good correlation with the in vitro results. In conclusion, nano-BA_12k showed high efficacy in the treatment of invasive infections. This new approach of constructing nanoantibiotics by modification of commercially available antibiotics with PEGylated copolymers is safe, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly.

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