Two-Photon Photoexcited Photodynamic Therapy with Water-Soluble Fullerenol Serving as the Highly Effective Two-Photon Photosensitizer Against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria

Int J Nanomedicine. 2020 Sep 14:15:6813-6825. doi: 10.2147/IJN.S236897. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Background: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial strain is a serious medical problem. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is resistant to many antibiotics and is often associated with several diseases such as arthritis, osteomyelitis, and endocarditis. The development of an alternative treatment for eliminating MDR bacteria such as MRSA has attracted a considerable amount of research attention. Moreover, the development of a material for highly efficient generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) involving two-photon photodynamic therapy (PDT) is currently desirable.

Materials and methods: We present an example demonstrating that the use of water-soluble C60(OH)30 fullerenol with a 0.89 singlet oxygen quantum yield serving as a photosensitizer in PDT has the superior ability in effectively generating ROS.

Results: It has ultra-low energy (228.80 nJ pixel-1) and can perform 900 scans under two-photon excitation (TPE) in the near-infrared region (760 nm) to completely eliminate the MDR species. Furthermore, the favorable two-photon properties are absorption of approximately 760 nm in wavelength, absolute cross-section of approximately 1187.50 Göeppert-Mayer units, lifetime of 6.640 ns, ratio of radiative to nonradiative decay rates of approximately 0.053, and two-photon stability under TPE.

Conclusion: This enabled water-soluble C60(OH)30 fullerenol to act as a promising two-photon photosensitizer proceeding with PDT to easily eliminate MDR species.

Keywords: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; near-infrared region; two-photon excitation; two-photon photodynamic therapy; water-soluble fullerenol.

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial
  • Fullerenes / chemistry
  • Fullerenes / pharmacology*
  • Humans
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects*
  • Photochemotherapy / methods*
  • Photons
  • Photosensitizing Agents / chemistry
  • Photosensitizing Agents / pharmacology*
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / chemistry
  • Singlet Oxygen / chemistry
  • Solubility
  • Water / chemistry

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Fullerenes
  • Photosensitizing Agents
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • Water
  • Singlet Oxygen
  • fullerenol

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Research Start-Up Fund of Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, China (2018r047), An Nan Hospital, China Medical University, Taiwan (ANHRF107-10), Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (MOST 108-2314-B-006-053-, 109-2622-E-006-013-CC3, 109-2636-E-006-018-) and the Center of Applied Nanomedicine and Medical Device Innovation Center (MDIC) at National Cheng Kung University from the Featured Areas Research Center Program within the framework of the Higher Education Sprout Project, Ministry of Education, Taiwan. And thanks to the technical services provided by the i-MANI center of National Core Facility for Biopharmaceuticals, Instrument Development Center, Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan.