Molybdenum Disulfide-Supported Cuprous Oxide Nanocomposite for Near-Infrared-I Light-Responsive Synergistic Antibacterial Therapy

Abstract

Drug-resistant bacterial infections pose a serious threat to human health; thus, there is an increasingly growing demand for nonantibiotic strategies to overcome drug resistance in bacterial infections. Mild photothermal therapy (PTT), as an attractive antibacterial strategy, shows great potential application due to its good biocompatibility and ability to circumvent drug resistance. However, its efficiency is limited by the heat resistance of bacteria. Herein, Cu₂O@MoS₂, a nanocomposite, was constructed by the <i>in situ</i> growth of Cu₂O nanoparticles (NPs) on the surface of MoS₂ nanosheets, which provided a controllable photothermal therapeutic effect of MoS₂ and the intrinsic catalytic properties of Cu₂O NPs, achieving a synergistic effect to eradicate multidrug-resistant bacteria. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) results revealed that the antibacterial process was related to disrupting the membrane transport system, phosphorelay signal transduction system, oxidative stress response system, as well as the heat response system. Animal experiments indicated that Cu₂O@MoS₂ could effectively treat wounds infected with methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>. In addition, satisfactory biocompatibility made Cu₂O@MoS₂ a promising antibacterial agent. Overall, our results highlight the Cu₂O@MoS₂ nanocomposite as a promising solution to combating resistant bacteria without inducing the evolution of antimicrobial resistance.