Size-dependent gold nanoparticles induce macrophage M2 polarization and promote intracellular clearance of Staphylococcus aureus to alleviate tissue infection

Wang Peilin; Peng Ying; Wang Renyuan; Li Zhuoxuan; Yang Zhenwu; Zhao Mai; Song Jianguo; Zhang Hao; Yin Gang; Lin Lin; Lin Haodong

doi:10.1016/j.mtbio.2023.100700

Size-dependent gold nanoparticles induce macrophage M2 polarization and promote intracellular clearance of Staphylococcus aureus to alleviate tissue infection

Mater Today Bio. 2023 Jun 20:21:100700. doi: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2023.100700. eCollection 2023 Aug.

Authors

Wang Peilin¹, Peng Ying¹, Wang Renyuan¹, Li Zhuoxuan¹, Yang Zhenwu¹, Zhao Mai¹, Song Jianguo¹, Zhang Hao¹, Yin Gang¹, Lin Lin², Lin Haodong¹

Affiliations

¹ Trauma Center, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 201620, China.
² School of Chemical and Environmental, Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai 201418, China.

Abstract

Tissue infection typically results from blood transmission or the direct inoculation of bacteria following trauma. The pathogen-induced destruction of tissue prevents antibiotics from penetrating the infected site, and severe inflammation further impairs the efficacy of conventional treatment. The current study describes the size-dependent induction of macrophage polarization using gold nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles with a diameter of 50 nm (Au50) can induce M2 polarization in macrophages by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway and stimulate an inflammatory response in the environment by inhibiting the MAPK signaling pathway LPS. Furthermore, the induced polarization and anti-inflammatory effects of the Au50 nanoparticles promoted the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs in vitro. In addition, the overexpression of TREM2 in macrophage induced by Au50 nanoparticles was found to promote macrophage phagocytosis of Staphylococcus aureus, enhance the fusion of autophagosomes and lysosomes, accelerate the intracellular degradation of S. aureus, in addition to achieving an effective local treatment of osteomyelitis and infectious skin defects in conjunction with inflammatory regulation and accelerating bone regeneration. The findings, therefore, demonstrate that Au50 nanoparticles can be utilized as a promising nanomaterial for in vivo treatment of infections.

Keywords: Au nanoparticles; Autophagy; Macrophages polarization; Osteomyelitis; Phagocytosis; Staphylococcus aureus; Wound infection.