<i>In Situ</i> Upregulating Heat Shock Protein 70 via Gastric Nano-Heaters for the Interference of <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Infection

Abstract

Taking inspiration from the mechanism of <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> infection can lead to innovative antibacterial ways to fight antibiotics resistance. Herein, a gastric nano-heater iron-cobalt alloy shielded with graphitic shells (FeCo@G) is developed to interfere with <i>H. pylori</i> infection under an alternating magnetic field. FeCo@G shows a high and stable specific loss power (SLP = 534.1 W g^<i>-</i>1) in the acidic environment and provides efficient magnetothermal stimulation in the stomach. Such stimulation upregulates the cytoprotective heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in gastric epithelial cells, which antagonizes the infection of <i>H. pylori</i>. This finding is further supported by the transcriptomic analysis verifying the upregulation of HSP70 in the stomach. Moreover, the nano-heater shows a high inhibition rate of <i>H. pylori</i> <i>in vivo</i> with good biocompatibility; 95% of FeCo@G is excreted from the mouse's gastrointestinal tract within 12 h. In summary, FeCo@G allows magnetothermal therapy to be used in harsh gastric environments, providing an approach for the therapy against <i>H. pylori</i>.