Iron–Calcium-Codoped\nMesoporous Antimicrobial\nNanoagents for Healing of Wounds Infected by Bacteria

Chronic\nwounds with multidrug-resistant bacterial infections\nsubstantially\ndelay the healing procedure and correlate with clinical implications,\nincluding pain increase and quality of life reduction. Therapeutic\napproaches that could kill bacteria and promote wound healing are\nhighly desired for the treatment of chronic nonhealing wounds. Metal\noxide-based nanoagents show increasing potential as a burgeoning type\nof antibiotic for multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. In this\nstudy, we developed two kinds of Fe- and Ca-incorporating mesoporous\nsilica nanoparticles (FeCaSi) via a simple and practicable strategy.\nThey can be applied for the administration of bacterial infection\nand wound healing. The antibacterial properties of FeCaSi nanoagents\ninclude bacterial cell wall capturing and subsequent reactive oxygen\nspecies (ROS)-producing activity; besides, the killing capacity can\nbe tailored by adjusting the ratio between Fe and Ca to be 4:3 (FeCaSi4:3),\nwhich is optimal for the eradication of drug-resistant Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus\naureus infection. Furthermore, treatment with FeCaSi4:3\ncould reduce the bacteria in the skin, promote collagen deposition,\nand accelerate the healing of bacterial-infected wounds in mice. Our\nstudy provided a simple but powerful way to engineer metal oxide mesoporous\nnanoparticles for antibacterial therapy.