Tailored carbon dots with photoresponsive oxidase-mimicking activity for bacteria-infected wound therapy

• Developed metal-free carbon dots with photo-activated oxidase-mimicking activity. • Achieved precise ROS-mediated bactericidal control via light activation. • Validated accelerated wound healing in bacterial-infected murine models • Overcome the toxicity limitation in traditional nanozyme-based ROS therapies. The advancement of nanozymes with reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating capabilities has emerged as a highly promising therapeutic strategy for managing infected wounds. Nevertheless, achieving precise modulation of their antibacterial efficacy remains a persistent challenge. In this study, we introduce an innovative metal-free carbon dots (CDs) functioning as photoresponsive nanozymes tailored for bacterial infection treatment. The CDs manifest exceptional photo-activated oxidase-like activity with a high maximum reaction rate of 33.3 × 10 -8 M/s, enabling efficient catalytic conversion of dissolved oxygen into superoxide anion (O 2 •− ) under light irradiation. This photo-triggered ROS generation capacity confers potent antibacterial effects against both Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) and Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ), with plate counting assays demonstrating that 75 μg/mL of CDs eliminates 98.4 % of E. coli and 99.2 % of S. aureus with just 10 min of light exposure. In vivo studies further revealed that the CDs not only exert robust disinfection effects but also accelerate the healing of S. aureus -infected wounds by alleviating inflammation and promoting angiogenesis. Notably, the light-dependency ROS-generating capability of CDs preclude excessive ROS accumulation and minimizes collateral tissue damage, enabling precise and efficient management of bacteria-infected wounds and highlighting substantial potential for clinical anti-infection therapeutic applications.